Grodzisko w Sopocie

About the museum

The Grodzisko in Sopot is the remains of an early medieval stronghold from the 8th century, situated on a hill in a beech forest and surrounded by a rampart and a moat. It is the oldest monument in Sopot. The first trial excavations were carried out in 1885 by Hugo Conwentz; the documentation from the work of Wolfgang La Baume in 1934 was lost during the Second World War.

After the war the stronghold was investigated in 1961–1966 by archaeologists from the Archaeological Museum in Gdańsk, and excavations resumed in 1995 and continued until 2003. On this basis the stronghold’s buildings were reconstructed on the spots where the former remains had been found: huts, a gate and part of the palisade. The site functions as an archaeological open-air museum and a branch of the Gdańsk museum.

Next to the open-air museum a modern exhibition and education pavilion was built, financed from EU funds together with the municipality of Sopot. The pavilion shows an exhibition on the oldest history of Sopot and the story of prehistory in the southern Baltic, and it also has workshops for children and young people. Archaeological and historical festivals and living history lessons are held on the grounds of the stronghold.

Highlights

• Reconstructed 8th-century stronghold: huts, gate and part of the palisade
• The oldest monument in Sopot, on a hill in a beech forest
• Permanent exhibition “Najstarsze dzieje Sopotu” (The Oldest History of Sopot) in the exhibition and education pavilion
• Living history lessons, workshops in old crafts and archaeological festivals
• Free guided tours of the stronghold in the summer season

Permanent exhibitions

• Najstarsze dzieje Sopotu – Exhibition in the pavilion on the oldest archaeological monuments of Sopot and the prehistory of the southern Baltic zone, using multimedia.
• Skansen archeologiczny – zrekonstruowany gród – Reconstructed buildings of the early medieval stronghold: huts, gate and part of the palisade, rebuilt on the spots where the remains were found.

Operated by

Muzeum Archeologiczne w Gdańsku

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Admission to the stronghold is free on Tuesdays.

Standard and reduced tickets can be bought at the ticket office or online; others (free and family tickets) only at the ticket office. The Sopot Card, the Metropolitan Culture Card, the Large Family Card, EURO26 and the Honorary Blood Donor card entitle the holder to a reduced ticket, and the Tourist Card with the “Odkrywca” (Explorer) or “Odkrywca Premium” package to free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance to the pavilion is level, and the ground floor and the open-air museum can be visited by wheelchair, but the pavilion’s upper floor is hard or impossible to reach because there is no lift. The path to the open-air museum is about 200 m long, wide, sandy and uphill. The pavilion has a toilet adapted for people with disabilities. The internal car park on the site can be made available to people with disabilities on request by telephone or at the reception desk. A guided tour with a Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpreter requires the date to be arranged in advance. Guide dogs are allowed into the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area: not available

For children and young people there are workshops recreating old crafts, living history lessons and an orienteering game. The pavilion’s ground floor and the open-air museum can be visited with a pram; the changing table is in the toilet for people with disabilities. The museum has no free play area, and parents should accompany their children.

Getting there & parking

The entrance to the museum leads from ul. Haffnera through the pavilion; a marked path leads up the hill to the open-air museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

There is no catering in the pavilion, and there are no food outlets in the immediate vicinity. Places to rest are on the jetty in front of the pavilion, under the shelter and by the campfire in the open-air museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit