Modernist center of Gdynia - example of building an integrated community

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Former ZUS building, 1936
Dom Żeglarza Polskiego, 1939

The Modernist Center of Gdynia - Example of Building an Integrated Community ( Polish Modernistyczne śródmieście Gdyni - przykład budowy zintegrowanej społeczności) is currently a World Heritage candidate in Poland . The candidacy concerns the inner city of Gdynia ( German Gdynia ) in the Pomeranian Voivodeship . The application covers an area of ​​88 hectares with several hundred buildings in the modern style . It has been on UNESCO's tentative list since September 2019 under number 6431 .

history

The fishing village of Gdynia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia when Poland was first partitioned in 1772 . - After the First World War , the Baltic coast from the mouth of the Piaśnica (Piasnitza) to the city limits of Sopot was ceded to the Second Polish Republic .

Gdynia had about 1200 inhabitants in 1920, but thanks to its location on the Gdańsk Bay , it was a good idea to set up a seaport . The Polish corridor made it possible to build the coal main line to ship coal from the mining areas of Upper Silesia to overseas without touching the port of Danzig and the railway in the Free State of Danzig .

Construction of the market hall in Gdynia (Photo: Annemarie Schwarzenbach , 1937)

The construction of the naval and commercial port was crucial for the dynamic growth of Gdynia. The first plans for the inner city were made in 1925–1926 by Roman Feliński and Adam Kuncewicz. Their design divided the place into zones for living, administration, services, industry and leisure. Due to the rapid growth, the plan had to be adjusted frequently and significantly. In twelve years Gdynia grew to around 120,000 inhabitants.

Building Gdynia was part of an ambitious economic plan. As Poland's “window to the world” (okno na świat), it became a field of work for young architects, town planners and builders. The city's development came to an end in September 1939 with the attack on Poland and the shelling of the Westerplatte in the neighboring city of Danzig . During the German occupation of Poland , it was renamed Gotenhafen and became a base for the Reichsmarine .

The development of the city continued after the end of the World War in the People's Republic of Poland until the 1960s. - The shipyard workers were a major contributor to the December 1970 uprising , which killed 45 people on the Baltic coast. The August strikes of 1980 led to the approval of free trade unions and Solidarność .

By decree of the Polish President, the city center of Gdynia was declared a Pomnik historii (historical monument ) on March 17, 2015 .

Buildings (selection)

  • District Court and Public Prosecutor's Office, 1936
  • ZUS building, 1936 (photo above)
  • The Orłowski family's residential and commercial building, 1936
  • Market hall, 1935–1938
  • Dom Żeglarza Polskiego (House of the Polish Sailor) , 1939 (photo above)

  • District Court and Public Prosecutor's Office

  • House of the Orłowski family

  • Gdynia, Central Station

  • Market hall

See also

Web links

Commons : Architecture of Gdynia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Wojciech Antoszkiewicz, Mariusz Jablonski, Bogdan Kwiatkowski and others: Gdynia. Tourist Vademecum. Jerzy Dąbrowski (translator), Gdynia Turystyczna, Gdynia 2009. ISBN 978-83-929211-0-3 . Pp. 13-30.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Whc.unesco.org: Modernist Center of Gdynia - the example of building an integrated community. (English, accessed June 25, 2020)
  2. ↑ modernizmgdyni.pl: Gdynia to unikalny miejski zespół. (Polish, accessed June 25, 2020)
  3. ↑ isap.sejm.gov.pl: Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 23 lutego 2015 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Gdynia - historyczny układ urbanistyczny śródmieścia". (Polish, in the Sejm's document server , accessed on July 31, 2020)

Coordinates: 54 ° 31 '  N , 18 ° 32'  E