Oliwa: Cathedral, Organ and Gardens
Oliwa Cathedral and its famous organ, the Abbots' Palace and Granary, the French Garden, the Whispering Grotto, the Palm House and the Japanese Garden.
Route map
Route stops
- 1Oliwa Cathedral
Oliwa Cathedral stands as Poland's longest Cistercian cathedral at 107 metres, with 46-metre towers rising prominently in the Oliwa neighbourhood of Gdansk. The interior showcases 23 altars in rococo, renaissance and baroque styles. The main attraction is an extraordinary 18th-century organ featuring nearly 8,000 pipes and animated angel figures—a masterpiece that draws visitors keen to experience its mechanical spectacle and craftsmanship.
- 2Abbot's Palace – Modern Art Department
The Palacio de los Abades (Pałac Opatów) sits in the heart of Oliwa's historic quarter at ul. Cystersów 18, serving as the Modern Art Department of the National Museum of Gdańsk. It holds around 400 works by prominent 19th and 20th-century artists across painting, sculpture and ceramics. The collection also features a dedicated gallery of contemporary Polish art and a Promotional Gallery showcasing pieces by emerging artists. What to see here offers a comprehensive overview of modern and contemporary practice in the region.
- 3Granary of the Abbots – Ethnography Department
The Granary of the Abbots (Spichlerz Opacki) is a historic building in Oliwa Park that houses the Ethnography Department of the National Museum of Gdańsk. Situated next to the Abbots' Palace, the two buildings form the museum complex within the park. What to see here includes displays of traditional Polish life, crafts and cultural artefacts spanning centuries. The opening hours and tickets are available through the National Museum of Gdańsk. A visit offers insight into the region's rich ethnographic heritage in an atmospheric period setting.
- 4French Baroque Garden
The French Baroque Garden (Ogród Francuski) sits opposite the Abbot's Palace in Gdansk, showcasing the formal elegance of French baroque design. Symmetrical parterres and decorative statues characterise the layout, which draws inspiration from André Le Nôtre's landscape tradition—the celebrated French designer behind the ornamental gardens at Versailles. A refined example of 17th-century garden planning, it remains a striking testament to baroque aesthetic principles and European horticultural heritage.
- 5Groty Szeptów (Cuevas del Susurro)
Groty Szeptów, located within Oliwa Park in Gdańsk, is a distinctive acoustic curiosity comprising two facing hemispheres with remarkable sound-amplifying properties. The Polish name translates as "Whispering Caves"—a fitting description of the phenomenon that defines the attraction. Whisper into one hemisphere and your words carry clearly across to the other, creating an intriguing interactive experience. It's a quirky, low-key draw for visitors keen to explore the park's oddities and test the caves' peculiar acoustics firsthand.
- 6House of Palms
A twenty-four-metre rotunda of glass and iron in Oliwa Park. A protected monument since nineteen seventy-one, rebuilt in two thousand seventeen; it houses palms, cycads and tropical vegetation right on the Baltic.
- 7Japanese Garden
A section of Oliwa Park designed with elements of Japanese landscaping: azaleas, pines and winding paths among rocks. A small Eastern haven within the most visited historic park in Gdańsk.
