A short tour of Gdynia's historical sites City centre

The village and resort in 1913

Historical background

The first record about the village of Gdynia dates from 1253. For centuries, it was one of the many settlements in the Gulf of Gdańsk. Its inhabitants lived on fishing and farming. In the early 20th century, as seaside holidays became more and more popular, Gdynia started to change into a summer resort. A spa house was built near the shore and a bathing beach was arranged, while accommodation for holiday-makers was provided in many houses.
It was, however, after World War I, when Poland regained independence, that a breakthrough in the history of Gdynia took place.
The coastline of the newly independent state was only 74 kilometres long and without a major port.

In 1920 the decision was made that a port be built in Gdynia, owing to its favourable location. That year, Tadeusz Wenda, an experienced civil engineer, designed the port, which was to consist of three parts: naval, commercial and fishing. The construction of the provisional port started in 1921, yet the dynamic growth of the place came in the late 1920s. This was confirmed in 1926, when Gdynia was granted a city charter. It had a population of 6 thousand at the time and had grown above 120 thousand by 1938.
The city and the port continued to develop until World War II broke out.
The construction of Gdynia is a major achievement not only of the Polish 2nd Republic, but of the whole period of Poland's modern history. The emergence of a city in place of a small village in less than two decades was unique on European scale. Buildings from all the stages in the history of Gdynia can be seen today. The aim of this guide is to introduce you to the most important historical sites of Gdynia - a testimony of its unique history.

Major sites of the sightseeing route:
1. Railway station
2. Social insurance institution (ZUS) building
3. Bank Polski
4. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego residential building
5. Mayor Radtke's house
6. The Orłowski family tenement
7. Ogończyk-Bloch and Mazalon's tenement
8. City Hall
9. The Krenski family tenement
10. Stankiewicz's tenement
11. Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland
12. "Polska Riwiera" Hotel
13. Polish Yachtsman's House
14. Gdynia Aquarium
15. Southern Pier
16. "Dar Pomorza" tall ship
17. ORP "Błyskawica" warship
18. Polish Seaman's Plaque
19. The Pręczkowski family tenement
20. Jurkowski's tenement
21. Polish Shipowners office building
22. Polish Meteorological Institute
23. Port Construction Office
24. Fishermen's house
25. Convent of St. Vincent de Paul Sisters of Charity
26. The Schroeder family house
27. Hundsdorff's tenement
28. Swedish Seaman's House
29. Antoni Abraham's house
30. Markets
31. Court of Justice

1. Railway station in Konstytucji Square
The present railway station is the third on the site. Designed by Wacław Tomaszewski, it was built in 1950-1955 and is one of the most interesting structures in Gdynia built in the period of socialist realism. Most of the interior decoration also dates back to the 1950s, with the mosaic decorations and ceiling painting in the former restaurant (now a chemist's). From the railway station one walks down Dworcowa Street up to 10 Lutego Street, which commemorates the granting of the city charter to Gdynia in 1926.

2. Social insurance institution (ZUS) building at 24, 10 Lutego Street
The office building for the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) was built in 1935-36 to the design of Roman Piotrowski. It is one of the symbols of Gdynia architecture of the interwar period. What makes it characteristic is the combination of shapes of various heights with the well-exposed rounded part. It has typical modernistic features, characteristic of the architecture of the 1930s, like simple forms and plain facades, with large, glazed, horizontal areas. The ground floor facades were lined with dark granite, contrasting with the light-coloured sandstone slabs in upper storeys. After WWII the building was the head office of the Polish Ocean Lines.

3. Bank Polski at 20/22 10 Lutego Street
Designed by Stanisław Filasiewicz, the building was erected in 1929. The architecture is characteristic of the 1920s, when the styles of previous epochs were frequently drawn on, hence the style is referred to as historicism. The interiors, including the spacious front office are impressive, with beautiful pillar-supported vaults. The richly ornamented bank building and the buildings described above and below show how architecture in Gdynia changed in a matter of a few years.

4. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego residential building at 27-31, 3 Maja and 26, Batorego Streets
The third building at this crossroads is in terms of capacity the largest residential building of pre-war Gdynia. It was designed by Stanisław Ziołowski and was built in stages between 1935 and 1937. When one looks at the house from 3 Maja Street, the conspicuous element is the semicircular top-floor turret-like extension, commonly seen in Gdynia. The building had all the modern facilities and an underground garage under the yard. The facades were lined with limestone slabs brought from Szydłowiec in southern Poland.

5. Mayor Radtke's house at 2, 10 Lutego Street
At the 10 Lutego and Świętojańska crossroads there is the house of Jan Radtke, who in 1918 became the first Polish mayor of Gdynia after the partition of Poland. Erected in 1912, the building was used by its owner as well as by holidaymakers visiting Gdynia in the summer. Among others, it hosted writer Stefan Żeromski, composer Feliks Nowowiejski and the builder of the port in Gdynia, Tadeusz Wenda. The building, with its characteristic wooden turret, bears a Jan Radtke commemorative plaque.

6. The Orłowski family tenement at 68, Świętojańska Street
A modernistic corner tenement house with a sculptured shape, built in 1936. The form of the building is created by two merging parts: the six-storey one, with a rounded corner and bow windows, and the cuboidal seven-storey one. The light-coloured facades were lined with sandstone slabs. Before WWII the lower storeys accommodated a luxury department store "Bon Marché," today the ground floor is taken by a bookshop.

7. Ogończyk-Bloch and Mazalon's tenement at 122, Świętojańska Street
The building was erected in 1936 for counsel Antoni Ogończyk-Bloch and architect Leon Mazalon, who was one of the designers. The conspicuous location of the house affected the way in which its corner was designed. It is accentuared by a glazed elevation of streamlined conservatories. A similar shape was given to the balconies overlooking Piłsudskiego Avenue and sculpturing the wall surface, and to the four-storey façade running from the corner along Świętojańska Street. The building
is an outstanding specimen of the architecture of the 1930s, not only on Gdynia scale.

8. City Hall at 52/54, Piłsudskiego Avenue
The building, initially the office of the Polish government commissioner, was built in two stages. The first part was opened in 1930, while the wing overlooking Piłsudskiego Avenue and Bema Street was built in 1937. Both were designed by J. Müller. Inside there were not only offices, but also the apartment of Commissioner, Mr. Franciszek Sokół holding the position since 1933. Today the building accommodates the offices of Gdynia City Council and of the Mayor of Gdynia.

9. The Krenski family tenement at 55, Świętojańska Street
A corner tenement built in 1939, to the design of Zbigniew Kupiec and Tadeusz Kossak - the most prolific duo of architects in Gdynia. The corner part of the building is higher and accentuates the crossroads; the side fragments are lower and link the tenement with the neighbouring houses. The shape is plain, except the narrow pilaster strips supporting the protruding cornice and the wavy balconies overlooking Żwirki i Wigury Street. The outbreak of the war made it impossible to plaster the facade and finish the ground floor. There wasn't enough time to install the lift which was waiting
in the port for unloading.

10. Stankiewicz's tenement at 53, Świętojańska Street
A tenement built in 1931 to the design of Włodzimierz Prochaska and Tadeusz Jędrzejewski. The owners have prepared an exhibition in the gateway, showing
the history of the building.

11. Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland at the corner of Świętojańska and Armii Krajowej Streets
The church was funded from donations of the inhabitants of Gdynia and was built on a site donated by Elżbieta Skwiercz, who owned a big farm. The construction started in 1922, and the church was consecrated in 1924. The design by Marian Baranowski and Roman Wojkiewicz is reminiscent of renaissance and baroque churches of central Poland. Today the temple is a collegiate church of Gdynia. There was an idea
in the 1930s to have a monumental Maritime Basilica built. The design made a reference to a mighty full-rigged ship, however it was never performed for lack of funding.

12. "Polska Riwiera" Hotel at 1, Zawiszy Czarnego Street
In 1922-23, a hotel was built at the foot of the Kamienna Góra Hill, near a busy beach. The name was meaningful: "Polska Riwiera" (Polish Riviera). There were wooden baths and a pier next to it. The form of the building designed by Władysław Granowski is traditional and characteristic of the 1920s. The former hotel now houses the Naval Officers' Club. In the adjacent compound, built in 2000-2006, there is Gdynia City Museum and the Museum of the Navy.

13. The Polish Yachtsman's House at 3, Jana Pawła II Avenue
Just a year before World War II broke out, a stately complex meant as the centre of yachting was completed in the Southern Pier. Designed by Bohdan Damięcki and Tadeusz Sieczkowski, the Polish Yachtsman's House is among the most characteristic buildings in Gdynia, with its rounded part overlooking the Yachting Basin. Inside, there were stately halls, hotel premises and a swimming pool. The building now houses the Faculty of Navigation of Gdynia Maritime University. There is also a planetarium - initially used for teaching purposes only, now accessible to tourists as well.

14. Gdynia Aquarium at 1, Jana Pawła II Avenue
Two years before World War II, the construction of a marine research and exhibition facility also started in the Southern Pier. Completion works were interrupted by the outbreak of the war. After the war, the facility was extended to the east
by a glazed rotunda and a pillar-supported terrace around it. The building accommodates Gdynia Aquarium, which is one of the most frequently visited educational and museum facilities in Poland - a fixed item on the itinerary of tours coming to Gdynia. The aquarium displays unique specimens of marine wildlife from all over the world.

15. Southern Pier
The stately pier, 600 metres long and 120 metres wide, replaced a wooden one in 1935-37. It was designed by Stanisław Filipkowski as part of the Waterfront, which was not completed due to the outbreak of WWII. The pier is an extension of the main axis of Gdynia -10 Lutego Street and was to end with an immense obelisk commemorating the reunification of Poland after the period of partition. Instead, there is a statue of Joseph Conrad Korzeniowski here today.

16. "Dar Pomorza" tall ship
The tall ship, often referred to as "the white frigate," was bought through public fundraising in 1929 and became a symbol of Poland's ties with the sea. She was built in Hamburg in 1909 and called in Gdynia for the first time in 1930. For several decades she was a training vessel for a few generations of Polish merchant navy officers. She made more than a hundred voyages, circled the globe and was the winner of many tall ship races. She made her last voyage in 1981 and has since been used as a museum. Since 1982, the tradition has been continued by another frigate - the "Dar Młodzieży" built at the Gdańsk shipyard.

17. Destroyer ORP "Błyskawica"
A destroyer of the Polish Navy built in a British yard in 1937. She fought in World War II - at Narvik and Dunkirk as well as in the Mediterranean. In 1944 she took part in the Normandy Invasion. The warship is now a museum exhibiting, among others, the history of the Polish Navy. As we walk westwards from here, we pass on our right the Gemini leisure centre, built in 2000.

18. Polish Seaman's Plaque in Kościuszki Square
A symbolic site paying tribute to the toil and sacrifice of Polish seamen. Many official ceremonies take place here. There are plans to replace the plaque with the Polish Seaman's Memorial.

19. The Pręczkowski family tenement at 10-12, Kościuszki Square
One of the first tenements in Gdynia, having a modern, modernistic form built in stages between 1928 and 1937. The designer, Tadeusz Jędrzejewski, used rounded walls reminiscent of naval architecture as well as a turret bringing up associations with the bridge of a vessel. The ground floor housed a cinema - "Polonia" and then "Goplana" - before the war and many years after.

20. Jurkowski's tenement at 16, Kościuszki Square
The modern tenement of ferroconcrete framework structure, standing out for its lining of yellow tiles, was built in 1937-38 to the design of Zbigniew Kupiec and Tadeusz Kossak.

21. Polish Shipowners office building at 44, Waszyngtona Street
Major buildings connected with maritime administration are located in Waszyngtona Street. In 1927-29, the building of the national shipowners' enterprise "Żegluga Polska" (Polish Shipowners), designed by Adam Ballenstedt, was erected near Kościuszki Square. The simple shape of the building is highlighted by an arcade with arches on the columns and Art Deco details. The building is now the Headquarters of the Navy.

22. Polish Meteorological Institute at 42, Waszyngtona Street
The seat of an institution which is very important for shipping. Built in 1927-30, it is characteristic for its openwork measuring tower.

23. Port Construction Office at 38 Waszyngtona Street
The office/residential building was erected in 1928. With its architecture and a small yard, the building is reminiscent of Polish historical manor houses. Tadeusz Wenda,
the chief designer and builder of the port, lived and worked here - the fact commemorated by a plaque at the entrance to the building. On the opposite side of the street a wooden cross was put up in 1922 to commemorate the construction of the port.

24. Fishermen's house at 7b, Kaszubski Square
The oldest house in the centre of Gdynia has been preserved at the rear of Kaszubski Square tenements. It was built in the late 19th century and was meant for two fishermen's families. It is a single-storey building with an attic under a gable roof. The building, which can be approached from Żeromskiego Street, now houses a stylish café.

25. Convent of St. Vincent de Paul Sisters of Charity at 2, Starowiejska Street
The Sisters of Charity came to Gdynia in 1910, and in accordance with their monastic rule, they looked after the poor and the sick. The convent with a chapel and a remarkable colonnaded entrance was built in 1923-24. Inside, there was also accommodation for holidaymakers coming to Gdynia in greater and greater numbers. Three years later the sisters had a four-storey house built in the nearby Kaszubski Square - also meant as accommodation for holidaymakers. However, due to the growth of the city and its current needs, the building was soon converted into the St. Vincent hospital, which originated the City Hospital existing today.

26. The Schroeder family house at 10 a, Starowiejska Street
A family house with rooms for holidaymakers built in 1914.

27. Hundsdorff's tenement at 7, Starowiejska Street
A corner tenement house built in 1932-35 to the design of Marian Maśliński.

28. Swedish Seaman's House at 25, Jana z Kolna Street
Designed by Stanisław Płoski and erected in 1936, the building used to house a hotel and the Swedish consulate.

29. Antoni Abraham's house at 30, Starowiejska Street
A country house of the Skwiercz family, built in the early 20th century beside a winding road leading through the centre of the village of Gdynia. As the town was being built, Starowiejska Street was routed along a straight line, which accounts for the oblique location of the house. Antoni Abraham, an advocate of the Kashubian and independence cause, lived here in 1920-1923. The building now houses a department of Gdynia City Museum, with an exhibition presenting the history of the village of Gdynia.

30. Markets in Wójta Radtkego Street
A market complex consisting of three parts was built in 1935-38, to make market place trading more orderly in the expanding Gdynia. The complex was designed by Stefan Reychman and Jerzy Müller, and contains the arched fruit-and-vegetable market, the fish market and the meat market. The main and most characteristic arched market is supported by nine steel trusses, each with a span of 35 metres and the height of 18. This is one of the many historical sites in Gdynia still used for its original purpose.

31. Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor's Office at 5, Konstytucji Square
The monumental building vis-à-vis the railway station was built in 1936 to the design of architects Karpiński, Sieczkowski and Sołtyński - winners of the specially organised contest. This modern structure has a dynamic shape consisting of the main cuboid with the entrance and a high main hall, two symmetrical rounded wings, and a straight wing overlooking Jana z Kolna Street. Even before the war, the avant-garde form of the building was a symbol of Gdynia's modernity.

• Opublikowano: 13.08.2007 00:00
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  Autor: Dorota Nelke (11@gdynia.pl)