Uphagen House

Uphagen House in Gdańsk is a small museum of burgher interiors at 12 Long Street (ulica Długa), and the only place on the Royal Route where you can walk through a furnished 18th-century merchant's home. Instead of display cases you get a salon, dining rooms, studies and a kitchen arranged as they might have looked in Johann Uphagen's day. It is a short, intimate visit that pairs perfectly with the grand Main Town Hall and Artus Court.

Who was Johann Uphagen?

Johann Uphagen (1731–1802) was a wealthy merchant, book collector, historian and city alderman. He bought the townhouse on June 21, 1775 and rebuilt it to his own detailed instructions with master builder Johann Benjamin Dreyer, moving in in 1779; the salon was finished a few years later. The interiors are mainly Rococo, with some Neoclassical touches.

The house first opened as a museum in 1911. Its furnishings were evacuated in 1944, and in March 1945 the building burned. Paneling, door frames, overdoors and three tiled stoves survived. The façade was rebuilt in 1953 and, after decades of other uses, the museum reopened on June 7, 1998.

What to see

The route leads through the entrance hall, mezzanine, tea room, salon, large and small dining rooms, kitchen and pantry. The three rooms in the side wing are the highlights:

• the Insect Room, named after the insects painted on its paneling,
• the Flower Room,
• the Music Room.

Look closely at the painted panels with birds, flowers, classical ruins and Chinese-style scenes – all fashionable in 18th-century Europe. Behind the house is a small garden with benches, open from spring to fall.

Is it worth visiting and how long?

Allow about 30 minutes. It is worth it if you enjoy period interiors or want a quieter break from the crowds on Long Street. It sits near the Golden Gate, so it makes a natural first stop on a walk toward the Town Hall. A 90-day pass covers all Museum of Gdańsk branches.

There is a cloakroom, three walkers to borrow and an induction loop at the ticket desk; wheelchair users should contact the museum's accessibility coordinator before visiting.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Address: Długa 12, 80-827 Gdańsk
• Hours: Monday 10am–4pm (free), Tuesday closed, Wednesday 10am–4pm, Thursday 10am–6pm, Friday–Sunday 10am–4pm; last tickets 30 minutes before closing. No separate winter timetable for 2026/27 has been announced.
• Closed: November 1, December 24–26 and 31, January 1 and 6.
• Tickets: 26 PLN regular, 19 PLN reduced, 70 PLN family; 90-day pass 160/110 PLN.

How to get there

From Gdańsk Główny railway station it is about a 10-minute walk through the Highland Gate and Golden Gate. Long Street is pedestrianized and central Gdańsk has paid parking zones, so walking or public transport is easiest.

Nearby

• Golden Gate and the Hall of the Brotherhood of St George
• Main Town Hall and Artus Court
• The Foregate complex (Torture House and Prison Tower)