The Uphagen House is a narrow townhouse at Długa 12, on Gdańsk's Royal Route, furnished as the home of a wealthy 18th-century merchant. It is one of very few burgher houses of that period in Europe that you can walk through room by room, from the kitchen and pantry to the music room. Its most unusual feature is the set of small side rooms whose wooden panels are painted with insects and flowers.
The Uphagen House at a glance
- Where: Długa 12 (Long Street), between the Golden Gate and the Main Town Hall in Gdańsk's Main Town.
- Built: a brick house stood here by the 15th century; its present rococo form dates from the rebuilding ordered by Johann Uphagen after 1775.
- By: the master builder Johann Benjamin Dreyer, following detailed instructions from Uphagen himself.
- What it is today: the Museum of Burgher Interiors, a branch of the Museum of Gdańsk.
- Time needed: 45 minutes to an hour inside.
From a scholar's home to a museum
Johann Uphagen (1731–1802) was a merchant's son, a historian, a book collector and a member of the city's lay court. He bought the house on Długa in June 1775 from Konstancja Mielżyńska and had it rebuilt to his own detailed plan in the fashionable rococo style. He moved in in October 1779, but the last room, the salon, was only finished in 1787. Uphagen had no children; he left the house to his younger brother, and it passed down through the family under an entail for more than a century.
Early in the 20th century the family leased the house to the city, and it opened as a museum dedicated to Uphagen's home. In 1944 German curators evacuated the furniture to the countryside, and in March 1945 the building burned during the Soviet capture of the city. It was rebuilt after the war on the basis of surviving records, and some of the original furnishings found their way back in the early 1950s. After years of restoration, the house reopened to visitors in 1998 as the Museum of Burgher Interiors.
What to look for
- The brick-red façade with three window bays, one of the more modest fronts on a street of tall merchant houses.
- The insect room and the flower room in the side wing, where the low wooden panelling is painted with beetles, butterflies and blooms.
- The music room, the third of the small side salons, and the tea room, where the household entertained guests.
- The large dining room and the salon on the first floor, with carved doors, panelling and stucco from Uphagen's time.
- The kitchen, pantry and cook's room, which show the working side of a rich household, and the counting office where business was done.
One house, two streets
Like many houses in Gdańsk's Main Town, the Uphagen House sits on a long, narrow plot. It runs right through the block from Długa to Ogarna Street, with a side wing along one edge. That is why the visit feels like a journey: from the grand street-front rooms, through the side wing with its small salons, to the service rooms at the back.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning, before the tour groups fill Długa; the house itself is rarely crowded.
- Take your time in the side wing: the painted panels are low down and easy to miss at a quick walk.
- Combine the visit with the Main Town Hall, another branch of the same museum, a few doors away.
- Look back at the façade from across Długa to compare it with the taller, more ornate houses around it.
Nearby
- Main Town Hall: the Gothic town hall with its tall spire, a short walk east along Długa.
- Long Market, Artus Court and Neptune's Fountain: the city's grand square, just beyond the town hall.
- Golden Gate: the ornate gate at the western end of the Royal Route, a few minutes west.
- Mariacka Street: the street of terraced porches leading to St Mary's Church, a short walk north-east.
See Gdańsk with World City Trail
Our Gdańsk scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 24 minutes of walking. It includes the High Gate, the Golden Gate, Artus Court and Neptune's Fountain. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch or Polish.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Gdańsk.
Play the Gdańsk scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Gdańsk →
Play the outdoor escape game in Gdańsk →
Facts checked in October 2026.