Map of Gdansk with Wisloujscie
by Gabriel Bodenehr sr, 1720. Photo by Ewa Meksiak
Image of a tender, known as "budryna".
Relief from the Chapel of the Tender Skippers (Kaplica Szyprów Bordynków) in St. John’s Church, Gdansk. Photo by Ewa Meksiak
- In the past...
- Navigation in the old port of Gdansk
- Wisloujscie (Mouth of the Vistula)
- The inner port
- ...and nowadays
Gdansk, like many other medieval towns, was established some distance from the coast, where it was safe from storms and unexpected attacks from the sea. On the other hand, the Motlawa and Vistula rivers enabled easy and comfortable connection with the sea.
What was an advantage in the Middle Ages, turned out to be a problem for following generations. The shallows near the mouth of the Vistula River became a dangerous obstacle and together with a low water level in the rivers made sailing straight to the port impossible even for vessels of a modest size. Ships had to drop anchor at the Gulf of Gdansk and wait for a pilot. The largest did not call at port whatsoever: some or all of the cargo had to be reloaded on to tenders in the roads.
The Gdansk authorities took care of the safety of entering the port and organized a pilotage system and such works as marking the fairway by lines of buoys, dredging a shallow bottom or removing accumulations of sand as well as stones from the shallowest waters. Funds for the works were collected thanks to taxes paid while calling at the port.