Artists' Colony (Kolonia Artystów)

What to expect

Kolonia Artystów (the Artists’ Colony) in Gdansk is not a museum with a collection but an independent art space in Wrzeszcz, where a gallery, an audio space, a cafe and a coworking share one address: Al. Grunwaldzka 51. You come here for an exhibition and a coffee rather than for a ticketed tour along a set route.

In the Kolonia’s own words, it works “as a place open to everyone” and promotes niche and independent art. Alongside the gallery it runs a concept store with works by local artists, a bookshop and a vinyl record shop. The portal dziswtrojmiescie.pl describes it in similar terms: as a place where a contemporary art gallery, an audio space, a cafe and a coworking meet.

In 2019 the city portal gdansk.pl wrote that Sylwester Gałuszka’s own exhibition project “Wieszajmy artystów każdego dnia” (Let’s hang artists every day) had been running at the Kolonia since 2015. In 2025 it marked ten years as a gallery and cafe in Wrzeszcz, with events spread across the whole year.

Who it suits: people looking for independent and local art rather than big names; those who like to see an exhibition with a coffee in hand; buyers of books, vinyl records and works by local artists; remote workers who could use a coworking space.

Who should skip it: anyone looking for a museum collection, a historical display or an interactive exhibition for children. The Kolonia describes itself as an art gallery, an audio space, a cafe and a coworking, not as a museum with holdings.

How long: the Kolonia does not say how long a visit takes, and the pace depends on whether you drop in just for the exhibition or stay on in the cafe or at your laptop. The “Godziny otwarcia” (Opening hours) page gives: open every day, so a visit is easy to fit into a day spent in Wrzeszcz.

Tips

• There is no price list. The Kolonia’s pages give no entry price for the space. Ask about costs by phone, including before a particular event.
• Hours confirmed in three places. The “Godziny otwarcia” page, the Kolonia’s Instagram profile and Google Maps agree on the hours in the practical box. Call before an evening visit.
• Accessibility to be confirmed. The Kolonia publishes no information on access for people with disabilities or for pushchairs. If it matters to you, ask by phone before you come.
• Water for the thirsty. The cafe serves coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine and Bytów beer, and, as the Kolonia puts it, water “za free” (at no charge) for thirsty walkers, cyclists, visitors and animals. A good stop on a bike ride through Wrzeszcz.
• Records and books. The concept store, the bookshop and the vinyl shop are part of the same space, so a visit may end with buying a work by a local artist or a record.
• A terrace with a story. The 2025 jubilee opened with a work by Maciek Salamon: a painting on a dummy facade of the Kolonia’s decaying terrace. According to NN6T, the founder Sylwester Gałuszka said that since 2015 the Kolonia had been writing to the building’s manager about the poor state of this historic terrace.
• Do not mix up the addresses. The Fundacja Kolonia Artystów (Artists’ Colony Foundation) also has a branch at ul. Dolna 4 in Dolne Miasto. This profile and the practical box cover the seat at Al. Grunwaldzka 51 in Wrzeszcz.

Getting there

• Address: Al. Grunwaldzka 51, 80-241 Gdańsk (Wrzeszcz).
• Tram: according to the ZTM Gdańsk timetable, the nearest tram stop is “Miszewskiego 01” (about 246 m; lines 5, 6, 9, 12), with “Miszewskiego 02” next to it (about 270 m; lines 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12).
• Bus: the closest stop is “Uphagena 01” (about 212 m; lines 115, 168, 199); further on are “Biała 01” (about 252 m; line 124) and “Matejki 02” (about 254 m; lines 168, 199). Distances are in a straight line from the address point in OpenStreetMap.
• By bike: the Kolonia’s cafe openly invites thirsty cyclists and walkers in for water, so it makes a handy stop on a route through Wrzeszcz.

Nearby

Two published profiles that pair well with the Kolonia (straight-line distances):

• Gdansk Arcade Museum, Al. Grunwaldzka 229 - about 2.2 km. The same avenue, a different kind of fun: according to the museum, every machine can be played without limits, so after a quiet gallery it makes an active second stop of the day.
• NOMUS - New Art Museum, Stefana Jaracza 14 - about 2.8 km. A contemporary art museum on the historic shipyard grounds, and the Kolonia also began on the Gdansk Shipyard grounds; a pairing for anyone who wants to set an independent gallery against an institutional collection.

Background

What you see today on Al. Grunwaldzka is the Kolonia’s third incarnation. Since 2015 it has run here under the name Nowa Kolonia (New Colony), led by Sylwester Gałuszka and Katja Smoła; before that it worked on the Gdansk Shipyard grounds and at ul. Miszewskiego 18. NN6T confirms the ten years in Wrzeszcz in 2025, and the city portal gdansk.pl also dates the “Wieszajmy artystów każdego dnia” project at the Kolonia to 2015.

The sources describe the beginnings differently. The Kolonia’s site says it has operated since 2001 and worked on the shipyard grounds in 2001-2008, while the 2012 Narracje festival page says artists worked in the shipyard’s telephone exchange building from 2002 to 2007, when it was called Kolonia Artystów.

According to the Kolonia, on 4 January 2008 the new owner of the former shipyard grounds removed the artists from building 175A, and in January 2009 the Fundacja Kolonia Artystów was founded.