Gdańsk Old Town color by Monika Frys-Żurek

This photograph was created during a peaceful walk through Gdańsk’s old town, at a time of day when the light was still clear and bright, and the city breathed in its own distinctive rhythm. I paused in the narrow passage between the monumental St Mary’s Church and the presbytery - a space where history seems to halt for a moment, quietening in the shadow of ancient walls.

This frame is particularly important to me because it brings together the contrast of two worlds: the sheltered, intimate space of the passageway and the lively square opening up just beyond it. In the colour version, I wanted to draw out the warmth of the bricks, the delicate reflections on the cobbles, and the soft blue of the sky - elements that come together like a gentle urban symphony.

I wanted the viewer, when looking at this photograph, to feel both the coolness of the stone beneath their feet and the sense of invitation offered by the light breaking through at the end of the alley - as if Gdańsk were opening another page of its own story.

There are also other colour versions of this composition available in the shop. Each one allows this place to be read differently - like a memory that shifts with our mood.