Gdansk is a part of historical Amber Route that ran from the Baltic coast south along main rivers (including the Vistula) towards the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Amber, both in form of goods (like jewellery, amulets, or crosses – these after the St. Adalbert mission) and raw material, was exported from the Gdansk area as early as in the 5th century BC, known as the "Baltic gold" or the "gold of North".
The oldest traces of an amber workshop in Gdansk come from the 10th century AD. The range of goods manufactured here grew wider continuously. Works by amber craftsmen from Gdansk were the most precious diplomatic gifts for popes, sultans and European monarchs. Not surprisingly, the citizens of Gdansk contributed most to the creation of the famous Amber Room, lost during WW2.
The Museum of Amber, a branch of the Historical Museum of Gdansk, displays amber in nature as well as use of amber in art, therapeutics, magic, religion and folk art.
Photo by Elzbieta Sontag and the Historical Museum of Gdansk
