Brotbänkengasse

Referred to as Platea Pistoram in 1337 and as Platea Panum after 1382 (translates to Baker or Bread Street) and is another example of streets in Gdansk named after a profession. The Polish name Chlebnicka follows the same tradition (Chleb = bread).

Up until the 16th century, Jopengasse was mostly considered part of Brotbänkengasse, even if it was occasionally mentioned by the name Jopengasse after about 1449.

During the late Middle Ages, i.e. in the middle of the 15th century, the western part of Brotbänkengasse and the eastern part of Jopengasse were the Mittelmarkt ("middle market"), also called Schnüffelmarkt (Targ Wąchany) after 1574.

Schnüffelmarkt - literally, sniff market - was a market that sold predominantly vegetables, which used to also be called Naschmarkt in other German-speaking cities at the time (such as Thorn, Leipzig, Vienna). Naschen used to also be referred to as snopern in Low German, which literally means sniffing or smelling (and naschen means nibbling in German today).

According to Stephan Walter, there is a woodcarving from 1601 backing up this history on display at the Dwór Artusa (Artushof) showing a merchant selling vegetables with the following inscription:

Die Milchmägd, Kirschbern und Kohlmetzen gehn hin auf den Schnüffel­ markt sich setzn, von Kraut und Rüben bringen viel, stets rauschen und knarren, sind nimmer still.

Holzstich Schnüffelmarkt 1601

(Loosely translated: The milk, cherry, and caggage merchants sit at the Schnüffelmarkt, bringing many herbs and beets, are never still).