Oliwa Cathedral & Zoo

Oliwa Cathedral

A few kilometres from Gdansk is the affluent suburb of Oliwa. Despite’s it’s modest size, Oliwa is home to a number of attractions that are well worth leaving Gdansk for.

Oliwa cathedral is nestled within Oliwa park. A church has been on this same site since the 12th Century but has suffered numerous fires, plunderings and wars. The cathedral features classic architecture of it’s time but the knock-out feature is undoubtedly the cathedral organs. The biggest of it’s type in Europe, the organs feature a mind-boggling 7896 pipes plus 110 registers.

You can hear organ recitals for free at the following times:-

December to March: Monday to Saturday: 12pm: Sunday 3pm

April: Monday to Saturday: 11am and 12pm: Sunday 3pm and 4pm

Every year the cathedral hosts the International Organ Music Festival when musicians from all around the world arrive to perform at the cathedral.

Oliwa Park

Oliwa park surrounds the cathedral and is a wonderful retreat from the traffic and noise of Gdansk.

Featuring rivers, lakes, palm house, botanical garden, Chinese garden and even a “whispering cave”- the park is a wonderfully charming place to relax, walk and explore.

Oliwa Zoo

Only a few minutes drive away from the cathedral and park is the Gdansk Oliwa zoo.

One of the largest zoos in Poland it’s a good place to bring the kids if you have a few spare hours. Plenty of animals and attractions to keep adults and children entertained and there is now a Go-Ape style forest park next to the zoo as well as a petting zoo and horseback riding.