Elbing

• The Old Town has a historic street plan, reconstructed burgher houses and several historic architectural ensembles.
• Galeria EL primarily presents and creates contemporary art; its program encompasses various art forms.
• The “Otwarta Galeria” includes more than sixty spatial artworks throughout the city.
• Bażantarnia is a forest park and an important recreational area in Elbing.

In addition to its historic street plan, the Old Town’s historic character includes an outer bailey and a monastery and hospital complex. Reconstructed burgher houses and the distinctive Ścieżka Kościelna add to the cityscape. Other attractions include St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Galeria EL Art Centre and the Market Gate. A visit to the Old Town therefore brings different aspects of the city’s history and architecture into focus.

The Galeria EL building is a two-aisled former Gothic Dominican church in the Old Town. Today, the art centre primarily presents and creates contemporary art. Its program includes exhibitions as well as concerts, performances, theatre productions and film screenings. Art enthusiasts can therefore find a variety of event formats there, not just exhibitions.

The “Otwarta Galeria” is also part of Elbing’s art scene: its collection includes more than sixty spatial artworks throughout the city. Several dozen works from the first and second Biennale Form Przestrzennych are also scattered around the city.

At the Archaeological and Historical Museum, the exhibition “Truso – legenda Bałtyku” focuses on a Viking-age trading settlement founded on the shore of Lake Truso. It complements the themes of art and architecture with an archaeological perspective on an earlier trading post.

Bażantarnia is suitable for hiking, horseback riding and cycling. In winter, the forest paths are suitable for cross-country skiing.

The blue circular trail runs through the forest park as a hiking route. On its section in Bażantarnia, the red Copernicus Trail follows the Srebrny Potok, passes Elewów Bridge and Parasol, and continues via Góra Jagiellońska to the car park by the forestry station in Dąbrowa. The description of this section gives hikers specific directions using named points, without specifying the total length of the trail.

A trip along the Elbląg Canal can begin in Elbing’s Old Town. This means you can include a canal cruise as a separate reason for your trip, alongside the historical and cultural attractions. Visits to the observation platform on the tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral are limited to a clearly defined period: it is open from May 1 to September 30, 2026.

To compare other destinations, you can also visit Pilona, Plajny, Gronowo Górne, Bogdaniec, Sałkowice, Oleśno, Kadyny and Łęcze.

When can the observation platform on the tower be visited?

From May 1 to September 30, 2026.

What activities are suitable in Bażantarnia?

The forest park is suitable for hiking, horseback riding and cycling. In winter, the forest paths are suitable for cross-country skiing.

What is the exhibition “Truso – legenda Bałtyku” about?

It is dedicated to the Viking-age trading settlement founded on the shore of Lake Truso.

For the broader travel overview: Elbing.