100th anniversary of granting city rights to Gdynia

Tomorrow is exactly a hundred years since Gdynia was given city rights. The decision of the Council of Ministers of February 10, 1926 was not an administrative closure of the existing reality, but a founding act of a city built from scratch. At one moment a small coastal settlement was entered into the state-owned project of creating modern maritime Poland.

First the port, then the city

It is worth noting that the port in Gdynia is older than the city itself. As early as 1922, the Sejm adopted the Act on the construction of a port at Gdynia as a public port of interest, which in practice meant the decision to create a future commercial port of the Polish state. In the spring of 1923, its ceremonial opening was held – in the port pool, next to fishing boats, torpedoes and Navy canons were moored.

The launch of port work has triggered rapid economic change: land prices have risen rapidly and some local families, including Squierczów, have been promoted to a group of significant owners of capital over several years. At the same time, the village also changed thanks to the development of the holiday and recreational function, strongly stimulated by the launch of a new railway line in 1921 leading from omission of Gdańsk.

Port as starting point

The choice of Gdynia was decided by natural conditions and cold calculation. As the port designer Tadeusz Wenda pointed out, it was the only location on the central coast that was really suitable for building a large seaport. The Vistula estuary remained unstable, Hel was vulnerable to muddy, other places did not meet technical requirements. In Gdynia, the engineering decision met with political determination.

The port launched a process that quickly went beyond the infrastructure itself. Rail lines, warehouse and industrial facilities were built behind the waterfronts. The city began to attract people from all over the country – engineers, workers, officials and entrepreneurs. Gdynia has become a space for promotion and a symbol of modern thinking about the economy.

Phenomena Gdynia – a myth based on action

Gdynia occupies a special place in Polish history. It is often referred to as the myth of the Second Republic, but it is not a romantic myth, but a myth of effectiveness. As Professor Bolesław Polkowski noted, this was one of the few cases where state planning translated into a rapid and lasting result. Gdynia was not a decoration or a password – it was a tool.

This approach distinguished her from other seaside centres. It was not a summer or regional port. It was designed from the beginning as an element of a larger system: coal bus, foreign trade and the backdrop for the commercial and war fleet. In this sense, it became a material proof of the maturity of Polish maritime thought.

Scheduled City

The granting of city rights in 1926 was much broader than the formal one. It meant entering Gdynia into a new phase – as a full city centre. The first urban plans provided for broad arteries, representative public spaces and a clear axis leading towards the sea. The historic Starowiejska Street was incorporated into the modern layout of the city, maintaining continuity, but changing function.

Thanks to this, Gdynia quickly gained a clear architectural and functional character. It was a new but not improvised city, subject to port, communication and economy.

A hundred years later

The year 2026 was declared by the Senate of the Republic of Poland the Year of the City of Gdynia. The Jubilee celebrations were spread out for twelve months, combining reflection on history with a rich programme of cultural and social events. The symbolic beginning remains on February 10 – the date of the decision a hundred years ago, which determined the fate of the city.

A hundred years after granting city rights, Gdynia remains faithful to its foundations. The port still identifies her identity, and morsity is not an addition, but an axis of development of the city. This is why the phenomenon of Gdynia does not lose its status – it grew out of action that made sense in 1926 and retained it to this day.

Tomorrow's celebrations will be the center of the Jubilee. On the 10th of February on the facade of the City Hall will be presented a historical spectacle performed in 3D Video Projection Mapping technology. The multimedia performance will tell about Gdynia's 100-year path – from Kashubian village to vibrant metropolis on the Baltic.

In the evening on 10th of February there will be a specially prepared parade, which will end with a concert on Kościuszko Square. Natalia Kukulska, Margaret, Natalia Szroeder, Andrzej Piaseczny, Tomasz Organek, Michał Szpak and Natalia Muianga will perform on the stage.