Gdańsk House in Węgrów

The wavy, two-storey gable crowned with a star can be seen from the far end of St Mary's Market Square. The Gdańsk House, a Baroque inn from the mid-18th century, recalls the days when Węgrów lived off the grain trade and competed with neighbouring Liw for links with Gdańsk – hence its name. Today it houses the town library, the Museum of Podlasie Textiles and two history exhibitions: "Heritage and Identity of Węgrów" and "The History of the Book in Węgrów".

History: merchants, grain and Gdańsk

In the 16th century Węgrów grew rapidly thanks to the grain trade, competing with Liw for the lead in dealings with Gdańsk, and in the 17th century the town had a merchant trading post. Even then, a building used for international trade stood in the north-eastern corner of the square. The present Baroque building went up around the middle of the 18th century. According to tradition, merchants from Gdańsk ran their trading post here and gave the building its name – though sources present this as local lore rather than confirmed fact.

What to see

From outside, the highlight is the gable facing the square: wavy, two storeys high and topped with a star, along with the mansard roof with dormer windows. Inside you'll find:

• The Museum of Podlasie Textiles – work from Węgrów's former "Cepelia" folk-craft cooperative (including ceramic dolls in folk costume), a wafer cut-out by Czesława Rowicka, and double-warp fabrics by Sister Dominika Bujnowska and Małgorzata Pepłowska. The museum also keeps Sister Dominika's historic loom – she was the one who brought double-warp weaving to Węgrów.
• The archaeological exhibition "Heritage and Identity of Węgrów" – finds from excavations in the town, among them pottery, coins, buttons, tsarist, merchant and military seals, musket balls and pieces of iridescent glass.
• The exhibition "The History of the Book in Węgrów" – with a modern reconstruction of Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, on which you can print a souvenir engraving.
• A model of the Battle of Węgrów of 3 February 1863 – the first three-dimensional depiction of this January Uprising clash, which ended in a Polish victory.

Did you know?

In museum workshops Małgorzata Pepłowska teaches how to cut patterns in Christmas wafer, make tissue-paper flowers and Easter palms. The Twardowski legend is part of everyday life in Węgrów: the sacristy of the basilica on the same square displays Twardowski's Mirror, a magical object according to legend, opposite the Gdańsk House stands Master Jan's bench, where the sorcerer himself poses for photos, and since 2015 the town has held the Land of Master Twardowski festival, which replaced the earlier Festival of Wedding Rites.

Tripto tip

Address: Rynek Mariacki 11. The building is open during library hours: Monday–Wednesday and Friday 8:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00, closed on Thursdays and Sundays (as of October 2026). The exhibitions can be visited during the same hours and admission is free. If you're coming as a larger group, call ahead: +48 25 792 24 74. 30–60 minutes is enough for the exhibitions. Węgrów has no railway station – the nearest are in Łochów and Mrozy. On the square stands the Basilica of the Assumption with frescoes by Michelangelo Palloni from 1707–1708, and elsewhere in town the Baroque former Reformati church with more Palloni paintings and an altar crucifix by Andreas Schlüter – together with the Gdańsk House they make a good two-hour walk around town.