Colourful travel. It’s on the up, you know! Those special little places that haven’t quite been crowded with tourists yet. Zaspa, is one of them. And I’m so glad we found it.
Back in September 2018, I took my family away for a week away in Gdansk, Poland. The flights were incredibly cheap (less than £40 return from Manchester) and our Airbnb was equally bargainous (£300 for a 2-bedroom apartment for the entire week). It was one of those locations which massively exceeded our expectations. I’ll be doing a full write up on our trip to Gdansk but one area which I felt deserved a spotlight all of its own was Zaspa, the largest urban art gallery in Poland. Let’s go colour hunting.
The Concrete Canvas: What’s Zaspa all about?
Zaspa is a little area just outside of the main city and trust me, you’ll know it when you see it. Most of Zaspa’s buildings are high-rise condos built in the 80s, making it a dream location for wall murals. I’ve discovered that the quarter was built on the old airport runways of Gdansk, which won’t come as much of a surprise when you note how flat it all is. With a concrete skyline, it lends so very well to some much-needed artwork which explains why the units have mostly been painted in colour-blocks of pastel shades with Tetris-shaped pops, proving a backdrop many 12-storey-high pieces of art. Cool, huh?
“One of its aims is to visually invigorate a uniformed space of a tower block district and to enable its inhabitants a daily contact with art”
– Monumental Art
So Why Are The Murals Here? How Can You Explore Zaspa
Rafał Roskowiński, a Polish doctor of the arts, started the movement in the late 90s after a successful wall painting project with a number of other local artists a few years prior. When the 1000th anniversary of the City of Gdansk occurred in 1997, he organised the International Festival of Monumental Painting, which included 10 murals in Zaspa – starting off this amazing little city’s relationship with art.
Monumental Art, the event to which it evolved into, continued until at least 2016 (I can’t see any more recent dates at lest) and the result is what you can see today.
If you’re planning on visiting, the official site contains an interactive map which includes details of each mural and I’d certainly encourage you to check out the artist of any you like the look of! Each has its own fascinating story. If you can’t rely on internet access, there is a PDF version of the map to download in advance, and if you don’t fancy an all day-wander, walking tours are hosted during Spring and Summer.
Find the official mural guides and map HERE.
The Logistics: How To Get To Zaspa From Gdansk
If you’re visiting Gdansk, the good news is that Zaspa is only a few miles away and runs along the same tram and train lines. As a mostly-pedestrianised community, with plenty of green spaces between each complex, you can spend ages walking around admiring the architecture so wear comfortable shoes and definitely give yourself a few hours to explore!
We were travelling with a toddler and spent around half a day in Zaspa, only accounting for about a fifth of all the murals! If you’re planning on finding all 60+ you could certainly make a day of it. Here are the best ways to access Zaspa from Gdansk town:
- By Tram: From central Gdansk, take Line 8 from Brama Wyżynna to Jana Pawła ii. You won’t need directions from the tram, you’ll see the murals!
- By Train: Take the SKM train from the main station (Gdansk Glowny) to Zaspa. It only takes around 10 minutes and they run regularly. Even better, it cost less than £2 for all 3 of us. Polish transport is unbelievably good value.
- By Uber: Uber are easily accessed around Gdansk and as Zaspa is only 3 miles outside of the main city, it shouldn’t cost more than £5.
How Kid-Friendly is Zaspa?
One of the biggest positives of Zaspa is that, because it’s a residential area, it’s a great place to take children – and the big kids too! You’ll see in this post, that me and my husband had just as much fun jumping around in front of the colours. There were a few public parks so we did have a few short stop-offs to the swings (no pictures for the other children’s privacy) and it didn’t take much walking for us to find a place for ice cream. It’s a real community so expect lots of locals out for their morning papers. With that in mind, if you’re visiting, don’t forget to be respectful as you take photos – this is someone’s home after all.
The Zaspa Legacy: Is It Worth A Visit?
Zaspa was one of the best European discoveries I’ve made in ages. Yes, for the photo opportunities and because it was essentially a family day out for less than a fiver, but also for its incredibly good spirit. Zaspa, had it not been for its acceptance of the arts, would not likely be a place worth noting – at least not to the tourist board.
These murals have given locals a seriously cool reason to be proud of where they live, and make the most of the intrigue they cause – after all, the colours are unmissable as you whiz by on the train, and is how many tourists come to find out about the quarter’s existence!
I’ve talked in the past about the UK and its fear of adopting colour or art on a grand scale – but it’s clear to see that when a community opens its arms to a new aesthetic, you can gain so much more than tourists, but a whole new cultural identity.
