Alte Münze

This street is located on the shore of the river (actually a canal) Radaune, today's Radunia. In the 14th century, the Teutonic Order built a mill on the island in the middle of the river, known as the Große Mühle (big mill, Wielki Młyn in Polish today) -- it still stands today:

Gdansk Wielki Mlyn

The street on the right bank of the river were called Kirchsteig in 1624, a name still in use in the late 1700s. On the left bank of the river, the street directly adjacent to Pfefferstadt (today: Korzenna) is the Alte Münze.

The name is quite peculiar, as Alte Münze literally translates to Old Coin. There was never a mint or anything similar in this area. This name, in use at least until the middle of the 19th century, probably has another origin. The small island in the river has the shape of a shield and was referred to as "Der Schild"(the shield).

A "Schild," or in its full name "Schildiger Gulden," was the currency in use before the Ducat was introduced in the 16th century, and when it was replaced, the "Schild" was merely the old coin, Alte Münze. Most like, the Danzigers of the time changed the name of the street alongside their currency.

The mill mentioned above is the Museum of Amber (Muzeum Bursztynu) today.