Sorry to disappoint you guys but the Amber Museum is not about everyone’s favorite character from the movie Clueless. Besides being the name of annoying bitches everywhere, it’s also a hard translucent brownish-yellow fossil resin used for making jewelry and other ornamental objects since at least the 4th century BC. Inside Gdańsk’s medieval Fore Gate (once home to a prison tower and torture chamber) is the Muzeum Bursztynu, a multi-story exhibit that extensively focuses on the history of Baltic amber. You couldn’t find a better place to have such an institution. Did you know Gdańsk claims to be the world capital of amber? Well, now you do. The first guild of amber craftsmen was created in this Polish city in 1477 and their workshops created numerous amber works for wealthy merchants, nobility, aristocracy, clergy and Polish kings. But let’s talk more about the museum. The impressive collection shows the diversity of the material as there is everything from inkwells and spoons to chess sets and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. Oh, and let’s not forget about the “inclusions” (what you call it when bugs or plants are caught inside the amber). Those are kind of cool. Because this is the Polish version of the Tower of London, the place is a bit tiny and cramped, which isn’t helped with the occasional piped-in soundtrack of pained cries and screams. Hey, they have some exhibits on torture too, so that’s a bonus for everyone, I guess. Just think of the amber as the Crown Jewels. Well, even if you find fossils to be a bit boring, this place is a must-see, if for no other reason to find out about “thumb screwing” and “heretic’s forks”…be sure to count all your fingers and toes before you go to sleep tonight. Sweet dreams!
Muzeum Bursztynu – Gdańsk, Poland
