Today, as in the past, Ulica Długa (“Long Street”) is the Main Town’s principal
thoroughfare. The houses that line the street were once inhabited by the
foremost burghers of Gdańsk, and virtually every one has its own colourful
history. Although the oldest surviving houses on the street date from the Middle
Ages, most were built during the heyday of the Hanseatic League.

With their narrow façades crowned by a variety of elements – from coats of arms
and symbols to animals, allegorical figures and the heroes of classical
mythology – the houses on Ulica Długa are typical of the architecture of Gdańsk.
Unfortunately when they were modernized in the mid-19th century, all the stepped
terraces that originally fronted the entrances to the houses were removed.

After the carnage of World War II, almost every building on Ulica Długa was left
in ruins. Many of the houses were later reconstructed, but only the finest
buildings were rebuilt in architectural detail.