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132 SHOPPING
Gifts & Souvenirs
You are in the heart of the Kashubian region here, home to the
Kashubian people one of the largest surviving ethnic minorities
in Europe. Distinct from Poles in both language and culture the
Kashubians are an integral part of modern Poland but also
have a clear identity visible in their peculiar language, which
sounds like a mix of Polish and German, and in their crafts.
Kashubians particularly pride themselves on their embroidery
which uses just five colours: green, red, yellow, black and blue
, the latter of which comes in three distinct shades. Green
represents the forests, red the fire and blood shed in defence
of the homeland, yellow the sun, black the earth and blue
the sky, lakes and sea. Designs are simple and are used on
everything from clothes to ceramics. Other things to look out
for are their wood carvings and basket woven items.
There is nothing which says Gdansk and Poland more than the
iconic Solidarnosc (Solidarity) logo which has come to signify the
movement of people across Communist Europe who together
brought the system and the Berlin Wall crashing down. Those
interested in the movement and the history will find a range of
books dedicated to the subject as well as postcards, photo
albums, souvenirs and even recreations of communist era
items such as ration books are now available. Keep an eye out
for a particular favourite of ours which is The Polish Revolution:
Solidarity by Timothy Garton Ash, which tells the story from
inside the shipyards during the momentous days of 1980.
Apparently there is a big football tournament being played
here in the summer of 2012 and the marketing of products
from t-shirts to footballs to whatever is in full-flow. The
sports outfitters Intersport have the exclusive right to sell
EURO2012 merchandise and you can pick up special Gdansk
t-shirts and the like there. For those really into their football
you might also think about picking up a Poland national side
shirt from Nike (following an outcry from Poland football team
fans the Polish eagle has been returned to the shirt having
initially been left off). You’ll also find 2 stands in Galeria
Baltycka dedicated to football - one to the local club Lechia
Gdansk and the other to all things football.
Galeria Sztuki Kaszubskiej (Kashubian Art Gallery)
C-4, ul. Św. Ducha 48, Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 503
00 59 78, www.gskart.pl. A fantastic little place if you
are looking for local handicrafts to take home as gifts. The
business is run by a mother and daughter and on certain
days you’ll even find a granddaughter present. The daughter
is a designer while the mother makes all the clothes by hand.
Lots of wonderful gifts all based on the local Kashubian region’s
traditions. Q Open 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
From June open 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. From July open
10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun.
Gdańsk Souvenir Centre C-4, ul. Długa 29, Gdańsk,
tel. (+48) 58 305 11 50. A souvenir gallery in the centre
of the old town with a pretty comprehensive collection of
Gdansk gifts including Polish glass, Poland sports memorabilia,
postcards and naturally, amber jewellery. QOpen
09:00 - 19:00. Y
Intersport F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria
Bałtycka), Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 12 444 88 88, www.
intersport.pl. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Kibic Fan Shop F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria
Bałtycka), Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 667 16 67 69, www.
kibicfanshop.pl. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Krakowski Kredens ul. Spacerowa 48 (CH Osowa),
Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 344 02 64, www.krakowskikredens.pl.
QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 09:00 - 20:00.
Lechia Gdańsk F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria
Bałtycka), Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 768 86 88, www.
lechia.pl. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Nike F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria Bałtycka),
Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 341 85 81, www.perfektsport.
pl. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Roads to Freedom B-1, ul. Wały Piastowskie 24, tel.
(+48) 58 308 44 28, www.ecs.gda.pl. QOpen 10:00 -
18:00. Closed Mon.
Salon z porcelaną Lubiana ul. Chrzanowskiego 10,
Gdańsk (Wrzeszcz), tel. (+48) 533 66 59 33, www.
dobraporcelana.pl. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 -
14:00. Closed Sun.
Sklep Lubiana N-2, ul. Świętojańska 77, Gdynia, tel.
(+48) 58 620 66 63, www.lubiana.com.pl. QOpen
11:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun.
Markets
Once upon a time, these were the places where the bulk
of shopping was done by locals. Rows and rows of kiosks
would offer you anything they could get their hands on to
sell and particularly in the post-1989 years these places
positively thrived. The advent of the western style shopping
mall and the huge out-of-town hypermarkets have turned
these market places into little more than flea markets and
the number of people using them has dropped dramatically.
Still many people use them both out of habit and because
prices tend to be cheaper so they can present an interesting
look into what life used to be like. While products such as
clothes and perfumes can now be bought in better quality
elsewhere there are still bargains to be had and fruit and veg
still tends to be fresher and cheaper here.
Once upon a time, these were the places where the bulk
of shopping was done by locals. Rows and rows of kiosks
would offer you anything they could get their hands on to
sell and particularly in the post-1989 years these places
positively thrived. The advent of the western style shopping
mall and the huge out-of-town hypermarkets have turned
these market places into little more than flea markets and
the number of people using them has dropped dramatically.
Still many people use them both out of habit and because
prices tend to be cheaper so they can present an interesting
look into what life used to be like. While products such as
clothes and perfumes can now be bought in better quality
elsewhere there are still bargains to be had and fruit and veg
still tends to be fresher and cheaper here.
Covered Market (Hala Targowa) C-3, Pl.
Dominikański 1, Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 58 346 31 33,
www.halatargowa.pl. One of the strangest buildings in
the city, the covered market wouldn’t look out of place posing
as a provincial 19th-century train station in the south
of France. Built in 1896 in a Neo-Gothic style, the market
has recently been completely renovated at a cost of 20zl
million, an act that led to the discovery of the foundations
of one of the city’s oldest churches, the 12th century
Church of St Nicolas, underneath the main market building.
Amid the cheap clothing stalls and rows of meat and dairy
produce, the church’s foundations have been left as they
were found, providing a small, living archaeology museum
in the basement along with a display of photographs,
objects found during the excavations and drawings of how
the church might have looked. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00, Sat
09:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun.
Gdańsk In Your Pocket gdansk.inyourpocket.com
PREMIUM
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klif gdynia shopping center
al. zwycięstwa 256, 81-525 gdynia
tel. 58 664 93 45, www.klif.pl
SHOPPING CENTER