Gdynia Modernism

Gdynia was a fishing village of a few thousand people when Poland, having gained a short coastline in 1920 and no usable port, decided to build one from nothing. The port opened in 1926 and the city went up around it over thirteen years, reaching a hundred and twenty thousand people by 1939 - and because it was built in one period, it is uniformly modernist. The centre has streets of white rendered blocks with rounded corners, ribbon windows, ships' railings on balconies, porthole windows and rooftop terraces, a maritime-flavoured version of international modernism sometimes called Gdynia style. Swietojanska and 10 Lutego are the streets to walk, with a marked modernism trail and information plaques. The waterfront carries the Dar Pomorza and a destroyer as museum ships, the Gdynia Film Festival runs here, and the city has been pushing for UNESCO recognition of the modernist centre.

What you actually see

• A city built in thirteen years - the whole centre from 1926 to 1939.
• Ships' details in buildings - rounded corners, railings, portholes and deck terraces.
• A marked modernism trail - through Swietojanska and 10 Lutego.
• Museum ships on the quay - including the sail training vessel Dar Pomorza.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Honest expectations

Most buildings are private and seen from the street. Condition varies - some are immaculate, others neglected. The trail plaques are the main interpretation. It rewards knowing what to look for.

Nearby

Sopot and Gdansk are on the same train line south.