This charming street, winding its way through the hills of Oliwa, was known as a place of special values. It is no wonder that the wealthiest patricians of Gdańsk made great efforts to buy even the smallest plot of land, whose owners were the Cisterians from Oliwa. The ownership of a summer residence located on Polanki Street raised the ranks and reputation of the family. In the beginning of the 18th Century Polanki consisted of 24 houses, while the number of properties in the interwar period exceeded 100. In the neighbourhood of these marvellous villas, which survive to this day, lives the Polish Nobel Prize winner and former President of the Polish Republic Lech Wałęsa.
Some of the residences were demolished and new houses were built in its place, while others, despite their authenticity, remain neglected and fallen into ruin. There are also those which have been renovated with magnificent gardens surrounding them for people to admire while moving through the modern Polanski Street. It allows you to imagine, even if only a little, how this route once looked with summer residences. The best-preserved houses on Polanki Street are the Quellbrunn Court Complex, which is currently owned by the Bridgettine Nuns, and the Montbriliant. Other courts were repurposed as, among others, hospital buildings, or are unavailable for sightseeing due to their condition. In recent years works have been undertaken to renovate the residences and restore their former glory. It is worth taking a walk down Polanki Street to get the feel of the old Gdańsk.
