Neptune's Fountain

Listen first. Under the voices and the footsteps on the cobbles, there is a steady splash of falling water. It comes from the centre of the long, wide street in front of you. A bronze figure stands there above a stone basin. He is tall and muscular, and a trident is raised in one hand. Around him, the painted facades of old merchant houses rise in red, ochre, cream and green. This is Neptune's Fountain, and for about four hundred years it has stood in the heart of Gdańsk.

You are standing on the Long Market, known in Polish as Długi Targ. This was never a quiet side square. It formed part of the Royal Route, the ceremonial path that Polish kings followed when they visited the city. Merchants met here, deals were made here, and city festivals filled this space. The fountain sits directly in front of Artus Court, the grand building with tall arched windows behind Neptune's shoulder. In the past, wealthy traders gathered inside that hall to talk business and to feast.

So why Neptune, the Roman god of the sea? The answer is the port. For centuries, Gdańsk was one of the richest trading cities on the Baltic Sea. It belonged to the Hanseatic League, a powerful network of merchant towns across northern Europe. Grain from the Polish lands floated down the Vistula River to this harbour, and ships carried it onward across the sea. The city's wealth came from water. A sea god in the main market was a clear statement about who the people of Gdańsk were.

The bronze statue was cast in the early seventeenth century, in 1615. The design is usually credited to Abraham van den Blocke, a member of a family of Flemish-born artists and builders. That family left its mark across the city. At that time, Gdańsk looked strongly toward the Netherlands, in trade, in taste and in architecture. You can see that influence in many of the tall, narrow gabled houses along this street.

Here is a detail that surprises many visitors. The statue was finished years before the water actually ran. The fountain did not begin to work until the early 1630s. Building the system that fed it was a long task. Engineers had to bring water into the centre of the old town and give it enough pressure to rise and fall as a fountain. For a city of that time, running water in the main market was a real sign of wealth and skill.

Now look at the figure itself. Neptune twists his body as he stands, and his weight rests on one leg. This style follows the Mannerist tradition. Mannerism was a late Renaissance style that liked elegant, slightly exaggerated poses and long, flowing lines. The god is nude, which shocked some people in a strongly religious age. His trident points toward the sky, and his face looks down and to one side, as if he is watching the crowd.

Next, let your eyes drop to the basin and the base below the statue. These parts are younger than Neptune. In the mid-eighteenth century, the lower section was remodelled in the Rococo style. Rococo was a light, playful style full of curves, shells and decorative movement. Look closely and you will find sea creatures in the stonework, with fish, shells and other marine forms. They give the impression that Neptune rises from a busy, living sea.

Around the whole fountain runs an ornate metal railing. It was added soon after the fountain began to work, in the first half of the seventeenth century. Look for the coats of arms worked into the metal. You will find the arms of Gdańsk, with two crosses beneath a crown. Gilded details catch the light along the top. The railing was practical as well as decorative. It kept people, carts and animals away from the water.

Now for a story, and it is important to say that this part is legend, not documented history. Gdańsk is known for an old herbal liqueur called Goldwasser, which means gold water. Tiny flakes of real gold leaf float inside each bottle. According to one popular tale, people once threw gold coins into this fountain. Neptune grew angry, struck the water with his trident, and broke the coins into small shining flakes. Locals enjoy telling the story, so you may hear it in local bars and shops.

The twentieth century brought great danger to this place. During the Second World War, much of the historic centre of Gdańsk was destroyed. Before the worst of the fighting, the statue of Neptune was taken down and hidden. That decision saved it. After the war, the city rebuilt these streets from ruins, house by house, following old drawings and photographs. In the 1950s, the bronze god returned to his place on the Long Market.

That is the second surprise for many visitors. Most of the beautiful facades around you are not original buildings from centuries ago. They are careful reconstructions from the years after the war. Neptune is one of the older survivors in this scene. When you look at him, you are looking at something the city managed to protect while much of the area around it burned. The colourful houses show the city's determination to rebuild. The bronze figure shows what it managed to keep.

Today the fountain is a natural meeting point. People say, let's meet at Neptune, and everyone knows the place. Street musicians often play nearby, and in summer the square fills with visitors. The famous Saint Dominic's Fair, a large annual market, also spreads through these streets in the summer months. In winter, the market changes again, and the fountain stands among lights and stalls. In every season, it stays at the centre of the life of the city.

If you walk a little to one end of the Long Market, you will reach the Green Gate. Beyond it lies the Motława River and the old harbour area. In the other direction stands the tall tower of the Main Town Hall. Standing by the fountain, you are halfway between the government of the city and the water that made it rich. That position was not an accident. Neptune guards the space between the council and the port.

Before you move on, take one more slow look. Notice how the sunlight changes on the dark bronze and on the gilded railing. Notice the shells and fish in the stone, and the sound of the water under the noise of the crowd. As you walk away, look back once at the raised trident. It has pointed at this same patch of sky for four centuries. It still watches the city that lives from the sea.