Oliwa

Some 5km northwest of city centre, the sleepy Gdańsk suburb of Oliwa began life as a small Slavic-Pomeranian settlement that grew around a Cistercian monastery established in the latter half of the 12th century. After a long period as a religious centre and a few catastrophes along the way including substantial devastation caused by the Swedes in 1626 and again in 1656 , Oliwa settled down to a peaceful and prosperous life, becoming an independent city from 1874 until 1926. Escaping major damage during WWII, today's Oliwa is home to around 20,000 people as well as a number of beasts living in the city's superb zoo, is the proud owner of one of Gdańsk's best parks, boasts a couple of wonderful museums and offers visitors a charmingly bucolic and distinctively different excursion.