The exhibition presents objects inextricably linked to the period of Gdańsk's greatest glory, when it remained within the borders of the First Polish Republic, including the Main Town Hall, Artus Court, the Great Armoury, and the Green Gate. Also displayed are buildings of absolute world-class uniqueness – such as the Great Mill, St. Mary's Church, and the Crane Gate. Buildings no longer in existence, such as the Danziger Hof and Continental hotels, and the recently restored railway station, are also recalled – although built in the German reality of the late 19th century, they became centres of activity for Poles fighting to maintain their identity and culture in the Free City of Danzig.
Destroyed, burned, and looted as a result of the struggles between two totalitarian powers – German and Soviet – the city was largely rebuilt by Poles. Despite the difficult post-war conditions, the idea of „de-ash-ifying everything,” and proposals to liquidate the patrician, bourgeois city centre in favour of a housing estate for the working class, it was partially possible to recreate, and in part to newly create, the spirit of the place of „Aureae Portae” and the pearl in the Crown of the Polish Republic.
The exhibition has been created using a unique 3D technique. In the photographs, we can see changing images of Gdańsk destroyed after the war and compare them to how these buildings look today.
