View source for Gdynia

{{Short description|City in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Gdynia
| settlement_type = [[City with powiat rights|City county]]
| native_name = <small>{{native name|csb|Gdiniô}}</small>
| motto = {{lang|pl|Miasto z morza i marzeń}}<br/>("The city of sea and dreams")
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 260
| perrow = 1/1
| image1 = 00 sea towers (April 2018).jpg{{!}}Sea Towers
| image2 = Container terminals in Gdynia.jpg{{!}}Port of Gdynia
| caption1 = [[Sea Towers]]
| caption2 = [[Port of Gdynia]]
}}
| image_flag = POL Gdynia flag.svg
| image_shield = [[File:POL Gdynia COA.svg|70px]]
| image_blank_emblem = Logo_of_Gdynia.svg
| blank_emblem_type = [[Brandmark]]
| pushpin_map = Poland
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Pomeranian Voivodeship|Pomeranian]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = ''city county''
| parts = 22 districts
| leader_title = City mayor
| leader_name = [[Aleksandra Kosiorek]]
| established_title = City rights
| established_date = 10 February 1926
| elevation_min_m = 0
| elevation_max_m = 205
| area_total_km2 = 391.5
| area_land_km2 = 130.8
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_total = 257,000 {{increase}} [[List of cities in Poland|(12th)]]<ref name="population">{{cite web |url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka |title=Local Data Bank |access-date=21 July 2022 |publisher=Statistics Poland |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422210113/https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/BDL/dane/teryt/jednostka |url-status=live }} Data for territorial unit 2262000.</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 1820
| population_metro = 1,080,700
| population_demonym = gdynianin (male) <br/> gdynianka (female) ([[Polish language|pl]])
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|54|31|03|N|18|32|24|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 81-004 to 81-919
| area_code = +48 58
| website = http://www.gdynia.pl
| blank_name = [[Polish car number plates|Car plates]]
| blank_info = GA, XA
| blank1_name_sec1 = [[International airport]]
| blank1_info_sec1 = [[Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport|Gdańsk]] ([[International Air Transport Association airport code|GDN]])
| footnotes = {{designation list|embed=yes
| designation1 = Historic Monument of Poland
| designation1_offname = Gdynia – historical urban layout of the downtown area
| designation1_date = 2015-02-23
| designation1_number = Dz. U., 2015, No. 356<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 23 lutego 2015 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Gdynia - historyczny układ urbanistyczny śródmieścia"|year=2015|number=356}}</ref>}}
}}
'''Gdynia'''{{Efn|{{Bulleted list|{{IPA|pl|ˈɡdɨɲa|lang|Pl-Gdynia.ogg}}|{{langx|csb|Gdiniô}}|{{langx|de|Gdingen}}, {{IPA|de|ˈɡdɪŋən|pron|De-Gdingen.ogg}} <small>or</small> {{IPA|de|ɡəˈdɪŋən||De-Gdingen.ogg}}}}}} is a city in northern [[Poland]] and a [[seaport]] on the [[Baltic Sea]] coast.{{TERYT}} With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the [[List of cities in Poland|12th-largest city]] in Poland and the second-largest in the [[Pomeranian Voivodeship]] after [[Gdańsk]].<ref name="population" /> Gdynia is part of a [[conurbation]] with the spa town of [[Sopot]], the city of Gdańsk, and [[suburb]]an communities, which together form a [[metropolitan area]] called the [[Tricity, Poland|Tricity]] (''Trójmiasto'') with around one million inhabitants.

Historically and culturally part of [[Kashubia]] and [[Pomerelia|Eastern Pomerania]], Gdynia for centuries remained a small fishing village. By the 20th-century it attracted visitors as a seaside [[resort town]]. In 1926, Gdynia was granted city rights after which it enjoyed demographic and urban development, with a [[Modernist architecture|modernist]] cityscape. It became a major seaport city of Poland. In 1970, [[1970 Polish protests|protests]] in and around Gdynia contributed to the rise of the [[Solidarność|Solidarity movement]] in nearby [[Gdańsk]].

The [[port of Gdynia]] is a regular stopover on the cruising itinerary of luxury passenger ships and [[Ferry|ferries]] travelling to [[Scandinavia]]. [[Modernist Center of Gdynia|Gdynia's downtown]], designated a [[List of Historic Monuments (Poland)|historical monument of Poland]] in 2015, is an example of building an integrated European community and includes [[Functionalism (architecture)|Functionalist]] architectural forms. It is also a candidate for the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Modernist Centre of Gdynia — the example of building an integrated community |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6431 |access-date=20 April 2022 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420011857/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6431 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gdynia - Historic Urban Layout of the City Centre - Zabytek.pl |url=https://zabytek.pl/en/obiekty/gdynia-gdynia-historyczny-uklad-urbanistyczny-srodmiescia |access-date=20 April 2022 |website=zabytek.pl |language=en |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520040538/https://zabytek.pl/en/obiekty/gdynia-gdynia-historyczny-uklad-urbanistyczny-srodmiescia |url-status=live }}</ref> Its axis is based around 10 Lutego Street and connects the [[Gdynia Główna railway station|main train station]] with the Southern Pier. The city is also known for holding the annual [[Gdynia Film Festival]]. In 2013, Gdynia was ranked by readers of ''The News'' as Poland's best city to live in, and topped the national rankings in the category of "general quality of life".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/153746,Gdynia-rated-Polands-best-city |title=Gdynia rated Poland's best city |work=[[TheNews.pl]] |date=22 November 2013 |access-date=29 November 2016 |archive-date=15 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715181305/http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/153746,Gdynia-rated-Polands-best-city |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, the city entered the [[UNESCO]] [[Creative Cities Network]] and was named UNESCO [[City of Film]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unesco.pl/article/1/41sesja-konferencji-generalnej-unesco/ |language=pl |title=Gdynia – Miastem Filmu UNESCO |access-date=9 November 2021 |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109192755/https://www.unesco.pl/article/1/41sesja-konferencji-generalnej-unesco/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
===Early history===
[[File:Saint Michael Archangel church in Gdynia (7).jpg|left|thumb|Medieval St. Michael Archangel Church is the oldest building in Gdynia]]
The area of the later city of Gdynia shared its history with [[Pomerelia]] (Eastern Pomerania). In prehistoric times, it was the center of [[Oksywie culture]]; it was later populated by [[Lechites]] with minor [[Baltic Prussian]] influences. In the late 10th century, the region was united with the emerging state of Poland<ref>André Vauchez, Richard Barrie Dobson, Adrian Walford, Michael Lapidge, ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'', Routledge, 2000, p.: 1163, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-282-1}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=om4olQhrE84C&dq=Gdansk+medieval+Pomerania&pg=PA1164 link]</ref> by its first historic ruler [[Mieszko I]]. During the reign of [[Bolesław II the Bold|Bolesław II]], the region seceded from Poland and became independent, to be reunited with Poland in 1116/1121 by [[Bolesław III Wrymouth|Bolesław III]].<ref>James Minahan, One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, p.375, {{ISBN|978-0-313-30984-7}}</ref> In 1209, the present-day district of [[Oksywie]] was first mentioned (''Oxhöft''). Following the fragmentation of Poland, the region became part of the Duchy of Pomerania (Eastern), which became separate from Poland in 1227, to be reunited in 1282. The first known mention of the name "Gdynia", as a [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranian]] ([[Kashubians|Kashubian]]) fishing village dates back to 1253. The first church on this part of the Baltic Sea coast was built there. In 1309–1310, the [[Teutonic Order]] invaded and annexed the region from Poland. In 1380, the owner of the village which became Gdynia, Peter from [[Rusocin, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Rusocin]], gave the village to the [[Cistercian]] Order. In 1382, Gdynia became property of the Cistercian [[Oliwa Abbey|abbey]] in [[Oliwa]]. In 1454, King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] signed the act of reincorporation of the region to the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]], and the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–66)|Thirteen Years' War]], the longest of all Polish-Teutonic wars, started. It ended in 1466, when the Teutonic Knights recognized the region as part of Poland. Administratively, Gdynia was located in the [[Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772)|Pomeranian Voivodeship]] in the province of [[Royal Prussia]]<ref>Daniel Stone,''A History of East Central Europe'', University of Washington Press, 2001, p. 30, {{ISBN|978-0-295-98093-5}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&dq=%22Royal+prussia%22+Poland+1466+Elbl%C4%85g&pg=PA30 Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414150351/https://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&dq=%22Royal+prussia%22+Poland+1466+Elbl%C4%85g&pg=PA30 |date=14 April 2023 }}</ref> in the [[Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]] of the Kingdom of Poland and later of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. The present-day neighbourhood of Kolibki was the location of the Kolibki estate, purchased by King [[John III Sobieski]] in 1685.

In 1772, Gdynia was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in the [[First Partition of Poland]]. Gdynia, under the Germanized name ''Gdingen'', was included within the newly formed province of [[West Prussia]] and was expropriated from the Cistercian Order. In 1789, there were only 21 houses in Gdynia. Around that time Gdynia was so small that it was not marked on many maps of the period: it was about halfway from Oksywie and Mały Kack, now districts of Gdynia. In 1871, the village became part of the [[German Empire]]. In the early 20th century Gdynia was not a poor fishing village as it is sometimes described; it had become a popular tourist spot with several guest houses, restaurants, cafés, several brick houses and a small harbour with a pier for small trading ships. The first [[Kashubians|Kashubian]] mayor was Jan Radtke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Map of Danzig and around in 1899, showing Gdingen |url=http://schwertfamily.net/maps/map_west_und_ostpreussen_1899.jpg |access-date=15 July 2018 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126122724/https://schwertfamily.net/maps/map_west_und_ostpreussen_1899.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref> It is estimated that around 1910 the population of Gdynia was 895 people.<ref>[https://rcin.org.pl/Content/47399/PDF/WA51_50580_r1956-z5_Dokumentacja-Geogr.pdf A. Jelonek (red.), ''Dokumentacja geograficzna. Liczba ludności miast i osiedli w Polsce 1810-1955'', Warsaw 1956] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226084625/https://rcin.org.pl/Content/47399/PDF/WA51_50580_r1956-z5_Dokumentacja-Geogr.pdf |date=26 December 2021 }}, p. 28</ref>

Following [[World War I]], in 1918, Poland regained independence, and following the [[Treaty of Versailles]], in 1920, Gdynia was re-integrated with the reborn Polish state. Simultaneously, the nearby city of Gdańsk (''Danzig'') and surrounding area was declared a [[Free City of Danzig|free city]] and put under the [[League of Nations]], though Poland was given economic liberties and requisitioned for matters of foreign representation.

=== Construction of the seaport ===
[[File:Gdynia, Dworzec Morski 1935 (67264189).jpg |left|thumb|Gdynia Seaport in 1935]]
The decision to build a major seaport at Gdynia village was made by the Polish government in winter 1920,<ref name="World Port Source - Gdynia">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/POL_Port_of_Gdynia_1177.php |title=Port of Gdynia |work=worldportsource.com |access-date=29 May 2010 |archive-date=29 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129053809/http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/POL_Port_of_Gdynia_1177.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the midst of the [[Polish–Soviet War]] (1919–1921).<ref name="Citino">[[Robert M. Citino|Robert Michael Citino]]. ''The path to blitzkrieg: doctrine and training in the German Army, 1920–1939''. Lynne Rienner Publishers. 1999. p. 173.</ref> The authorities and seaport workers of the [[Free City of Danzig]] felt Poland's economic rights in the city were being misappropriated to help fight the war. German dockworkers went on strike, refusing to unload shipments of military supplies sent from the West to aid the Polish army,<ref name="Citino" /> and Poland realized the need for a port city it was in complete control of, economically and politically.<ref>{{cite web |title=Port history |url=https://www.port.gdynia.pl/en/o-porcie/port-history/ |website=Port Gydnia |access-date=14 August 2025 |quote=In 1920 there was a conflict regarding the blocking of trans-shipment of arms to Poland during the war with Russia, calling Polish warships at port, etc. The need to build the own sea port became apparent.}}</ref>

[[File:140429-POL-Gdynia-Muzeum MW.jpg|thumb|Museum of the Navy in Gdynia|left]]

Construction of Gdynia seaport started in 1921<ref name="Citino"/> but, because of financial difficulties, it was conducted slowly and with interruptions. It was accelerated after the [[Sejm]] (Polish parliament) passed the ''Gdynia Seaport Construction Act'' on 23 September 1922. By 1923 a 550-metre pier, {{convert|175|m|abbr=off}} of a wooden tide breaker, and a small harbour had been constructed. Ceremonial inauguration of Gdynia as a temporary military port and fishers' shelter took place on 23 April 1923. The first major seagoing ship, the French Line steamer ''Kentucky'', arrived on 13 August 1923 after being diverted because of a strike at Gdansk.<ref>"Emigration Shipping Lines of Gdynia, 1924-1939", by Oskar Myszor, in ''East Central Europe in Exile: Transatlantic Migrations'', ed. by Anna Mazurkiewicz (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014) p. 165</ref> 
{{Historical populations|1950|103458|1960|147625|1970|191500|1978|227140|1988|249805|2002|253458|2011|249139|2021|245222|footnote=Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Gdynia |title=Gdynia (Pomorskie) » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, noclegi, szkoły, regon, atrakcje, kody pocztowe, wypadki drogowe, bezrobocie, wynagrodzenie, zarobki, tabele, edukacja, demografia |access-date=9 June 2022 |archive-date=9 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609174532/https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Gdynia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Demographic and occupational structure and housing conditions of the urban population in 1978-1988|url=https://statlibr.stat.gov.pl/exlibris/aleph/a22_1/apache_media/RQ1U9XAX48KJJDQ54QSAFQKQ6AK6GS.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics Poland - National Censuses|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/temat/}}</ref>}}[[File:Gdynia, transatlantyk MS Pilsudski 1935 (67264474).jpg|thumb|[[MS Piłsudski|MS Pilsudski]] in Gdynia, 1935]]
To speed up the construction works, the Polish government in November 1924 signed a contract with the French-Polish Consortium for Gdynia Seaport Construction. By the end of 1925, they had built a small seven-metre-deep harbour, the south pier, part of the north pier, a railway, and had ordered the trans-shipment equipment. The works were going more slowly than expected, however. They accelerated only after May 1926, because of an increase in Polish exports by sea, economic prosperity, the outbreak of the German–Polish trade war which reverted most Polish international trade to sea routes, and thanks to the personal engagement of [[Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski]], Polish Minister of Industry and Trade (also responsible for the construction of [[Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy]]). By the end of 1930 docks, piers, breakwaters, and many auxiliary and industrial installations were constructed (such as depots, trans-shipment equipment, and a rice processing factory) or started (such as a large cold store).{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Trans-shipments rose from 10,000 tons (1924) to 2,923,000 tons (1929). At this time Gdynia was the only transit and special seaport designed for coal exports.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In the years 1931–1939 Gdynia harbour was further extended to become a universal seaport. In 1938 Gdynia was the largest and most modern seaport on the Baltic Sea, as well as the tenth biggest in Europe. The trans-shipments rose to 8.7&nbsp;million tons, which was 46% of Polish foreign trade. In 1938 the [[Stocznia Gdynia|Gdynia shipyard]] started to build its first full-sea ship, the ''[[SS Olza|Olza]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Szabados |first=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_zvDwAAQBAJ&dq=1938+Gdynia+shipyard+Olza&pg=PT51 |title=Polish Immigration to America: When, Where, Why and How |date=27 August 2016 |publisher=Stephen Szabados |language=en |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425160608/https://books.google.com/books?id=T_zvDwAAQBAJ&dq=1938+Gdynia+shipyard+Olza&pg=PT51 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Construction of the city ===
The city was constructed later than the seaport. In 1925 a special committee was inaugurated to build the city; city expansion plans were designed and [[city rights]] were granted in 1926, and tax privileges were granted for investors in 1927. The city started to grow significantly after 1928.

A [[Gdynia Główna railway station|new railway station]] and the Post Office were completed. The [[Polish State Railways|State railways]] extended their lines, built bridges and also constructed a group of houses for their employees. Within a few years houses were built along some {{convert|10|mi|0|abbr=out}} of road leading northward from the [[Free City of Danzig]] to Gdynia and beyond. Public institutions and private employers helped their staff to build houses.<br/>
In 1933 a plan of development providing for a population of 250,000 was worked out by a special commission appointed by a government committee, in collaboration with the municipal authorities. By 1939 the population had grown to over 120,000.<ref>(ed) Michael Murray, ''Poland's Progress 1919–1939'', John Murray, 1944, London pp 64–6</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Sąd rejonowy betonowe 06.jpg|Gdynia Courthouse by Zbigniew Karpiński, 1936
File:Gdynia Dowodztwo MW 2.jpg|Headquarters of the [[Polish Navy]]
File:Gdynia urząd miasta UM.jpg|Piłsudski Avenue with modernist buildings
File:PlacKaszubski.PomnikAntoniAbrahamk.jpg|''Plac Kaszubski'', one of the main squares in the city
File:Siedziba_Zakładu_Ubezpieczeń_i_PLO.jpg|''PLO Building'' designed by [[Roman Piotrowski]] 
File:Gdynia, Świętojańska 55 (1) - czupirek 2013.jpg|''Krenski House'', detail, by Zbigniew Kupiec
</gallery>

=== Gdynia during World War II (1939–1945) ===
[[File:Niemcy w Gdyni.jpg|thumb|German occupying forces in Gdynia in 1939]]
During the German [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]] in September 1939, Gdynia was the site of [[Battle of Gdynia|fierce Polish defense]]. On 13 September 1939, the Germans carried out first arrests of local Poles in the southern part of the city, while the Polish defense was still ongoing in the northern part.<ref name=mw105>{{cite book |last=Wardzyńska |first=Maria |year=2009 |title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion |language=pl |location=Warsaw|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]] |page=105}}</ref> On 14 September 1939, the Germans captured the entire city, and then [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|occupied]] it until 1945. On 15–16 September, the Germans carried out further mass arrests of 7,000 Poles, while Polish soldiers still fought in nearby [[Battle of Kępa Oksywska|Kępa Oksywska]].<ref name=mw105/> The German police surrounded the city and carried out mass searches of weapons.<ref name=mw105/> Arrested Poles were held and interrogated in churches, cinemas and halls, and then around 3,000 people were released until 18 September.<ref name=mw105/> The occupiers established several prisons and camps for Polish people, who were afterwards either deported to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] or executed.<ref name=mw106>Wardzyńska, p. 106</ref> Some Poles from Gdynia were executed by the Germans near [[Starogard Gdański]] in September 1939.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 108</ref> In October and November 1939, the Germans carried out public executions of 52 Poles, including activists, bank directors and priests, in various parts of the city.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 156</ref> In November 1939, the occupiers also murdered hundreds of Poles from Gdynia during the [[massacres in Piaśnica]] committed nearby as part of the ''[[Intelligenzaktion]]''. Among the victims were policemen, officials, civil defenders of Gdynia, judges, court employees, the director and employees of the [[National Bank of Poland]], merchants, priests, school principals, teachers,<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 106, 146–148</ref> and students of local high schools.<ref>{{cite book |last=Drywa |first=Danuta |editor-last=Kostkiewicz |editor-first=Janina |year=2020 |title=Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945) |language=pl |location=[[Kraków]] |publisher=[[Jagiellonian University|Uniwersytet Jagielloński]], [[Biblioteka Jagiellońska]] |page=181 |chapter=Germanizacja dzieci i młodzieży polskiej na Pomorzu Gdańskim z uwzględnieniem roli obozu koncentracyjnego Stutthof}}</ref> On the night of 10–11 November, the German security police carried out mass arrests of over 1,500 Poles in the [[Obłuże]] district, and then murdered 23 young men aged 16–20, in retaliation for breaking windows at the headquarters of the German security police.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 156–157</ref>[[File:Poles arrested in Gdynia September 1939.jpg|thumb|left|Poles arrested by the Germans in Gdynia in September 1939]] On 11 November, a German gendarme shot and killed two Polish boys who were collecting Polish books from the street, which were thrown out of the windows by new German settlers in the Oksywie district.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kołakowski |first=Andrzej |editor-last=Kostkiewicz |editor-first=Janina |year=2020 |title=Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945) |language=pl |location=Kraków |publisher=Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Biblioteka Jagiellońska |page=75 |chapter=Zbrodnia bez kary: eksterminacja dzieci polskich w okresie okupacji niemieckiej w latach 1939-1945}}</ref> The Germans renamed the city to ''Gotenhafen'' after the [[Goths]], an ancient Germanic tribe, who had lived in the area. 10 Poles from Gdynia were also murdered by the Russians in the large [[Katyn massacre]] in April–May 1940.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gdynia.pl/spoleczenstwo,7580/dzien-pamieci-ofiar-zbrodni-katynskiej,548870 |title=Pamiętamy o ofiarach zbrodni katyńskiej |website=Gdynia.pl |access-date=10 September 2021 |language=pl |archive-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910092026/https://www.gdynia.pl/spoleczenstwo,7580/dzien-pamieci-ofiar-zbrodni-katynskiej,548870 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some 50,000 Polish citizens were [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]] to the [[General Government]] (German-occupied central Poland) to make space for new German settlers in accordance with the ''[[Lebensraum]]'' policy. Local [[Kashubians]] who were suspected to support the Polish cause, particularly those with higher education, were also arrested and executed. The German [[gauleiter]] [[Albert Forster]] considered Kashubians of "low value" and did not support any attempts to create a Kashubian nationality. Despite such circumstances, local Poles, including Kashubians, organized [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] groups, [[Kashubian Griffin]] (later [[Pomeranian Griffin]]), the exiled "Związek Pomorski" in the [[United Kingdom]], and local units of the [[Home Army]], [[Service for Poland's Victory]] and [[Gray Ranks]]. Activities included distribution of underground Polish press, smuggling data on German persecution of Poles and Jews to Western Europe, sabotage actions, espionage of the local German industry,<ref>{{cite book |last=Chrzanowski |first=Bogdan |year=2022 |title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne na Pomorzu w latach 1939–1945 |language=pl |location=Gdańsk |publisher=IPN |pages=30, 40, 48, 52, 57 |isbn=978-83-8229-411-8}}</ref> and facilitating escapes of endangered Polish resistance members and British and French prisoners of war who fled from [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|German POW camps]] via the city's port to [[Neutral powers during World War II|neutral]] [[Sweden]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chrzanowski |first=Bogdan |title=Organizacja sieci przerzutów drogą morską z Polski do Szwecji w latach okupacji hitlerowskiej (1939–1945) |journal=Stutthof. Zeszyty Muzeum |language=pl |volume=5 |pages=16, 25, 30–34 |issn=0137-5377}}</ref> The [[Gestapo]] cracked down on the Polish resistance several times, with the Poles either killed or deported to the [[Stutthof concentration camp|Stutthof]] and [[Ravensbrück concentration camp|Ravensbrück]] concentration camps.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chrzanowski |first=Bogdan |title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne na Pomorzu w latach 1939–1945 |pages=47, 50–51}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Chrzanowski |first=Bogdan |title=Organizacja sieci przerzutów drogą morską z Polski do Szwecji w latach okupacji hitlerowskiej (1939–1945) |pages=16, 27–28, 37}}</ref> In 1943, local Poles managed to save some [[Kidnapping of children by Nazi Germany|kidnapped Polish children]] from the [[Zamość]] region, by buying them from the Germans at the local train station.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kozaczyńska |first=Beata |editor-last=Kostkiewicz |editor-first=Janina |year=2020 |title=Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945) |language=pl |location=Kraków |publisher=Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Biblioteka Jagiellońska |page=123 |chapter=Gdy zabrakło łez... Tragizm losu polskich dzieci wysiedlonych z Zamojszczyzny (1942-1943)}}</ref>
[[File:ORP Błyskawica w nowym kamuflażu - 02-01-2012.jpg|thumb|[[ORP Błyskawica|ORP ''Błyskawica'']], Polish destroyer which served in World War II, now a [[museum ship]]]]
The harbour was transformed into a German naval base. The [[shipyard]] was expanded in 1940 and became a branch of the [[Kiel]] shipyard (''Deutsche Werke Kiel A.G.''). The city became an important base, due to its being relatively distant from the [[war theater]], and many German large ships—[[battleship]]s and [[heavy cruiser]]s—were anchored there. During 1942, Dr Joseph Goebbels authorized relocation of {{SS|Cap Arcona|1927|2}} to Gotenhafen Harbour as a stand-in for {{RMS|Titanic}} during filming of the German-produced movie ''[[Titanic (1943 film)|Titanic]]'', directed by [[Herbert Selpin]].

The Germans set up an ''[[Einsatzgruppen]]''-operated penal camp in the [[Grabówek, Gdynia|Grabówek]] district,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1517 |title=Einsatzgruppen-Straflager Gdynia-Grabówek |website=Bundesarchiv.de |access-date=25 February 2023 |language=de |archive-date=25 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225165157/https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1517 |url-status=live }}</ref> a transit camp for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] marine POWs,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Megargee |first1=Geoffrey P. |last2=Overmans |first2=Rüdiger |last3=Vogt |first3=Wolfgang |year=2022 |title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]], [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] |page=208 |isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamp of the [[Stalag XX-B]] POW camp for several hundred Allied POWs at the shipyard,<ref>{{cite book |last=Daniluk |first=Jan |editor-last=Grudziecka |editor-first=Beata |title=Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana |language=pl |location=Malbork |publisher=Muzeum Miasta Malborka |page=12 |chapter=Stalag XX B Marienburg: geneza i znaczenie obozu jenieckiego w Malborku-Wielbarku w latach II wojny światowej |date=21 February 2024 |isbn=978-83-950992-2-9}}</ref> and two [[Subcamp (SS)|subcamps]] of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]], the first located in the [[Orłowo, Gdynia|Orłowo]] district in 1941–1942, the second, named ''Gotenhafen'', located at the shipyard in 1944–1945.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gliński |first=Mirosław |title=Podobozy i większe komanda zewnętrzne obozu Stutthof (1939–1945) |journal=Stutthof. Zeszyty Muzeum |language=pl |volume=3 |pages=168, 180 |issn=0137-5377}}</ref>

The seaport and the shipyard both witnessed several air raids by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] from 1943 onwards, but suffered little damage. Gdynia was used during winter 1944–45 to evacuate German [[troop]]s and refugees trapped by the [[Red Army]]. Some of the ships were hit by [[torpedo]]es from Soviet [[submarine]]s in the [[Baltic Sea]] on the route west. The ship {{MV|Wilhelm Gustloff||2}} sank, taking about 9,400 people with her – the worst loss of life in a single sinking in maritime history. The seaport area was largely destroyed by withdrawing German troops and millions of encircled [[refugee]]s in 1945 being bombarded by the Soviet military (90% of the buildings and equipment were destroyed) and the harbour entrance was blocked by the German battleship {{ship|German battleship|Gneisenau||2}} that had been brought to Gotenhafen for major repairs.

=== After World War II ===
[[File:Wybory 1989 2.jpg|thumb|[[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] election rally in Gdynia, 1989]]
On 28 March 1945, the city was captured by the Soviets and restored to Poland. The Soviets installed a communist regime, which stayed in power until the [[Fall of Communism]] in 1989. The post-war period saw an influx of settlers from [[Warsaw]] which was [[Destruction of Warsaw|destroyed by Germany]], and other parts of the country as well as [[Polish people|Poles]] from the cities of Wilno (now [[Vilnius]]) and Lwów (now [[Lviv]]) from the [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|Soviet-annexed former eastern Poland]]. Also [[Greeks]], [[refugees of the Greek Civil War]], settled in the city.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kubasiewicz |first=Izabela |editor-last1=Dworaczek |editor-first1=Kamil |editor-last2=Kamiński |editor-first2=Łukasz |year=2013 |title=Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty |language=pl |location=Warsaw|publisher=IPN |page=117 |chapter=Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości}}</ref> The port of Gdynia was one of the three Polish ports through which refugees of the Greek Civil War reached Poland.<ref>Kubasiewicz, p. 114</ref>

On 17 December 1970, worker demonstrations took place at Gdynia Shipyard. Workers were fired upon by the police. [[Janek Wiśniewski]] was one of 40 killed, and was commemorated in a song by [[Mieczysław Cholewa]], ''Pieśń o Janku z Gdyni''. One of Gdynia's important streets is named after Janek Wiśniewski. The event was also portrayed in [[Andrzej Wajda]]'s movie ''[[Man of Iron]]''.

On 4 December 1999, [[Cyclone Anatol|a storm]] destroyed a huge crane in a shipyard.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In 2002, the city was awarded the [[Europe Prize]] by the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|Parliamentary Assembly]] of the [[Council of Europe]] for having made exceptional efforts to spread the ideal of European unity.<ref>[http://website-pace.net/web/apce/the-europe-prize The Europe Prize]</ref>

== Geography ==

=== Climate ===
The climate of Gdynia is an [[oceanic climate]] owing to its position of the [[Baltic Sea]], which moderates the temperatures, compared to the interior of [[Poland]]. The climate is mild and there is a somewhat uniform precipitation throughout the year. Autumns are significantly warmer than springs because of the warming influence of the Baltic Sea. Nights on average are warmer than in the interior of the country. Typical of [[Northern Europe]], there is little sunshine during late autumn, winter and early spring, but plenty during late spring and summer. Because of its northerly latitude, Gdynia has 17 hours of daylight in midsummer but only around 7 hours in midwinter.
The lowest [[pressure]] in Poland was recorded in Gdynia - 960.2 hPa on 17 January 1931.

{{Weather box
|location = Gdynia (1981-2010, extremes 1951–2015)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 13.2
|Feb record high C = 14.4
|Mar record high C = 22.9
|Apr record high C = 28.9
|May record high C = 30.3
|Jun record high C = 33.2
|Jul record high C = 35.5
|Aug record high C = 33.4
|Sep record high C = 30.7
|Oct record high C = 26.9
|Nov record high C = 19.8
|Dec record high C = 13.7
|year record high C = 35.5
| Jan avg record high C = 8.7
| Feb avg record high C = 8.4
| Mar avg record high C = 14.2
| Apr avg record high C = 19.4
| May avg record high C = 23.6
| Jun avg record high C = 26.2
| Jul avg record high C = 28.0
| Aug avg record high C = 27.8
| Sep avg record high C = 23.1
| Oct avg record high C = 19.3
| Nov avg record high C = 12.6
| Dec avg record high C = 9.4
|year avg record high C = 30.0
|Jan high C = 2.6
|Feb high C = 2.9
|Mar high C = 5.6
|Apr high C = 9.8
|May high C = 15.0
|Jun high C = 18.4
|Jul high C = 21.1
|Aug high C = 21.2
|Sep high C = 17.2
|Oct high C = 12.5
|Nov high C = 6.9
|Dec high C = 3.6
|year high C = 11.4
|Jan mean C = 0.5
|Feb mean C = 0.7
|Mar mean C = 2.9
|Apr mean C = 6.5
|May mean C = 11.6
|Jun mean C = 15.1
|Jul mean C = 18.0
|Aug mean C = 18.0
|Sep mean C = 14.2
|Oct mean C = 9.7
|Nov mean C = 4.8
|Dec mean C = 1.6
|year mean C = 8.6
|Jan low C = -1.6
|Feb low C = -1.4
|Mar low C = 0.6
|Apr low C = 3.8
|May low C = 8.6
|Jun low C = 12.3
|Jul low C = 15.1
|Aug low C = 15.1
|Sep low C = 11.6
|Oct low C = 7.3
|Nov low C = 2.8
|Dec low C = -0.4
|year low C = 6.1
| Jan avg record low C = -9.6
| Feb avg record low C = -8.1
| Mar avg record low C = -4.5
| Apr avg record low C = -0.7
| May avg record low C = 3.8
| Jun avg record low C = 8.0
| Jul avg record low C = 11.3
| Aug avg record low C = 10.9
| Sep avg record low C = 7.0
| Oct avg record low C = 1.4
| Nov avg record low C = -3.1
| Dec avg record low C = -7.7
|year avg record low C = -12.0
|Jan record low C = -19.7
|Feb record low C = -23.8
|Mar record low C = -13.8
|Apr record low C = -4.9
|May record low C = -0.6
|Jun record low C = 3.8
|Jul record low C = 8.1
|Aug record low C = 7.0
|Sep record low C = 2.1
|Oct record low C = -3.6
|Nov record low C = -11.7
|Dec record low C = -17.8
|year record low C = -23.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 31.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 21.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 30.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 28.5
|May precipitation mm = 53.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 56.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 60.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 63.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 62.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 46.2
|Nov precipitation mm = 43.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 37.7
|year precipitation mm = 537.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 17.4
|Feb precipitation days = 15.2
|Mar precipitation days = 14.7
|Apr precipitation days = 12.2
|May precipitation days = 11.7
|Jun precipitation days = 13.8
|Jul precipitation days = 13.2
|Aug precipitation days = 13.2
|Sep precipitation days = 14.0
|Oct precipitation days = 14.1
|Nov precipitation days = 16.3
|Dec precipitation days = 18.3
|year precipitation days = 173.9
|Jan humidity = 81.7
|Feb humidity = 81.5
|Mar humidity = 79.5
|Apr humidity = 77.7
|May humidity = 77.0
|Jun humidity = 76.5
|Jul humidity = 77.1
|Aug humidity = 77.7
|Sep humidity = 79.1
|Oct humidity = 80.7
|Nov humidity = 83.4
|Dec humidity = 83.6
|year humidity = 79.6
| Jan dew point C = -3
| Feb dew point C = -3
| Mar dew point C = -1
| Apr dew point C = 2
| May dew point C = 6
| Jun dew point C = 10
| Jul dew point C = 13
| Aug dew point C = 12
| Sep dew point C = 9
| Oct dew point C = 6
| Nov dew point C = 2
| Dec dew point C = -1
|source 1 = Meteomodel.pl<ref>{{cite web |url=https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne |title=Średnie i sumy miesięczne |date=6 April 2018 |publisher=Meteomodel.pl |language=pl |access-date=31 January 2022 |archive-date=27 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027220024/https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|source 2 = Time and Date (dewpoints, 2005-2015)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/poland/gdynia/climate |title=Climate & Weather Averages in Gdynia |publisher=Time and Date |access-date=24 July 2022 |archive-date=25 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325150232/https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/poland/gdynia/climate |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

===Districts===
Gdynia is divided into smaller divisions: ''[[dzielnica]]s'' and ''[[osiedle]]s''. Gdynia's ''dzielnicas'' include: Babie Doły, Chwarzno-Wiczlino, [[Chylonia]], [[Cisowa, Gdynia|Cisowa]], Dąbrowa, Działki Leśne, [[Grabówek, Gdynia|Grabówek]], Kamienna Góra, Karwiny, Leszczynki, Mały Kack, [[Obłuże]], [[Oksywie]], [[Orłowo, Gdynia|Orłowo]], Pogórze, Pustki Cisowskie-Demptowo, [[Redłowo]], [[Śródmieście, Gdynia|Śródmieście]], Wielki Kack, Witomino-Leśniczówka, Witomino-Radiostacja, Wzgórze Św. Maksymiliana.
<br>
{{Image label begin
| image = Gdynia Districts SemiBlank.svg
| alt = 
| width = 
| float = |font-size=75%}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.82|y=0.11|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Babie<br/>Doły</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.58|y=0.18|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Pogórze</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.71|y=0.2|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Obłuże]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.81|y=0.23|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Oksywie]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.42|y=0.22|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Cisowa, Gdynia|Cisowa]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.54|y=0.29|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Chylonia]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.76|y=0.38|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Modernist Center of Gdynia|Śródmieście]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.70|y=0.46|text=<div style="background-color: white;"><small>Działki Leśne</small></div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.58|y=0.34|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Leszczynki</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.63|y=0.43|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Grabówek, Gdynia|Grabówek]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.38|y=0.37|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Pustki Cisowskie-<br/>-Demptowo</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.84|y=0.45|text=<div style="background-color: white;"><small>Kam.<br/>Góra</small></div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.83|y=0.54|text=<div style="background-color: white;"><small><span style="line-height: 2px">Wzg.Św.<br/>Maksymiliana</span></small></div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.32|y=0.59|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Chwarzno-[[Wiczlino, Gdynia|Wiczlino]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.60|y=0.60|text=<div style="background-color: white;"><small>Witomino-Leśniczówka</small></div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.66|y=0.51|text= <div style="background-color: white;">Witomino-<br/>-Radiostacja</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.85|y=0.71|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Orłowo, Gdynia|Orłowo]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.84|y=0.62|text=<div style="background-color: white;">[[Redłowo]]</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.71|y=0.71|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Mały Kack</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.59|y=0.87|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Wielki Kack</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.626|y=0.734|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Karwiny</div>}}
{{Image label|width=|x=0.47|y=0.77|text=<div style="background-color: white;">Dąbrowa</div>}}
{{Image label end}}
{{clear|left}}

''Osiedles'': Bernadowo, Brzozowa Góra, Chwarzno, Dąbrówka, Demptowo, Dębowa Góra, Fikakowo, Gołębiewo, Kacze Buki, Kolibki, Kolonia Chwaszczyno, Kolonia Rybacka, Krykulec, Marszewo, Międzytorze, Niemotowo, Osada Kolejowa, Osada Rybacka, Osiedle Bernadowo, Port, Pustki Cisowskie, Tasza, [[Wiczlino, Gdynia|Wiczlino]], Wielka Rola, Witomino, Wysoka, Zielenisz.

== Cityscape ==
[[File:Dar Pomorza - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|View from Kościuszko Square; [[Dar Pomorza]] on the left, [[Sea Towers]] on the right]]
[[File:Gdynia Orłowo Pier (24217249262).jpg|thumb|Gdynia's main boardwalk in [[Orłowo, Gdynia|Orłowo]]]]
Gdynia is a relatively modern city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gdynia.pl/eng/about/the/city/5877_.html |title=About the city — Modernism in Europe — Modernism in Gdynia |website=Gdynia.pl |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002142549/http://www.gdynia.pl/eng/about/the/city/5877_.html |archive-date=2 October 2016}}</ref> Its architecture includes the 13th century St. Michael the Archangel's Church in [[Oksywie]], the oldest building in Gdynia, and the 17th century [[neo-Gothic]] [[manor house]] located on Folwarczna Street in Orłowo.

The surrounding hills and the coastline attract many nature lovers. A leisure [[pier]] and a cliff-like coastline in [[Redlowo|Kępa Redłowska]], as well as the surrounding Nature Reserve, are also popular locations. In the harbour, there are two anchored [[museum ship]]s, the [[destroyer]] {{ORP|Błyskawica}} and the [[tall ship]] ''[[Dar Pomorza]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muzeummw.pl/?orp-blyskawica-,227 |title=ORP "Błyskawica" - Muzeum Marynarki Wojennej w Gdyni |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130192841/http://www.muzeummw.pl/?orp-blyskawica-,227 |url-status=live }}</ref> A {{convert|1.5|km|adj=on}}-long [[promenade]] leads from the [[marina]] in the city center, to the beach in [[Redlowo|Redłowo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mapy.e-turysta.pl/pomorskie/gdynia/redlowo/#map=15/18.5524/54.4916 |title=Redłowo - Mapa Gdynia, plan miasta, dzielnice w Gdyni - E-turysta |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130185423/https://mapy.e-turysta.pl/pomorskie/gdynia/redlowo/#map=15/18.5524/54.4916 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most of Gdynia can be seen from Kamienna Góra<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Kolejka-na-Kamienna-Gore-ruszyla-n92173.html |title=Kolejka na Kamienną Górę ruszyła |date=4 July 2015 |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130190223/http://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Kolejka-na-Kamienna-Gore-ruszyla-n92173.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ({{convert|54|m|abbr=off}} [[Above mean sea level|asl]]) or the viewing point near Chwaszczyno. There are also two viewing towers, one at Góra [[Donas]], the other at Kolibki.

In 2015 the [[Emigration Museum]] opened in the city. Other museums include the [[Gdynia Aquarium]], Experyment Science Center, Abraham's house, Żeromski's house, Gdynia Automotive Museum, Naval Museum, and Gdynia City Museum.

=== Modernist Center ===
{{Main|Modernist Center of Gdynia}}Gdynia holds many examples of early 20th-century architecture, especially monumentalism and early [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalism]], and [[modernism]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tourism — Gdynia cultural |url=http://www.gdynia.pl/eng/tourism/5331_47014.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013043/https://www.gdynia.pl/eng/tourism/5331_47014.html |archive-date=1 December 2016 |access-date=30 November 2016 |website=Gdynia.pl}}</ref> Historic Urban Layout of the City Center was drafted by Adam Kuncewicz and [[Roman Feliński]] in 1926.<ref name=":1" /> The central axis of Gdynia is built around 10 Lutego Street, Kosciuszka Square and the Southern Pier.<ref name=":0" /> The structure of the city is designed to emphasize the connection of Gdynia and Poland with the Baltic Sea. Examples of modernist architecture are the buildings of the Bank of Poland and many tenement houses (''[[Kamienica (architecture)|kamienice]]''). Another good example of modernism is ''PLO Building'' situated at 10 Lutego Street.

The architecture of central Gdynia was inspired by the work of European architects such as [[Erich Mendelsohn|Erich Mendelssohn]] and is sometimes compared to the [[White City (Tel Aviv)|White City]] of [[Tel Aviv]].<ref>{{Cite web |title="Gdynia - Tel Aviv" - a temporary exhibition {{!}} Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN w Warszawie |url=https://polin.pl/en/gdynia-tel-aviv |access-date=20 April 2022 |website=polin.pl |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524180737/https://www.polin.pl/en/gdynia-tel-aviv |url-status=live }}</ref> The center of Gdynia has become a symbol of modernity, but was included in the list of [[List of Historic Monuments (Poland)|historical monuments of Poland]] and is a candidate for the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Poland|UNESCO World Heritage List]].

== Culture ==
[[File:Strokes Opener 040719-139 (48247874422).jpg|thumb|[[Open'er Festival]] in 2019 ]]
Gdynia hosts the [[Gdynia Film Festival]], the main Polish film festival. The [[International Random Film Festival]] was hosted in Gdynia in November 2014.
Since 2003 Gdynia has been hosting the [[Open'er Festival]], one of the biggest contemporary music festivals in Europe. The festival welcomes many foreign [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]], [[Rock music|rock]] and [[electronic music]] artists every year. In record-high 2018 it was attended by over 140,000 people, who enjoyed the lineup headlined by [[Bruno Mars]], [[Gorillaz]], [[Arctic Monkeys]], and [[Depeche Mode]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History - Open'er Festival |url=https://opener.pl/en/history-10/ |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=opener.pl |language=en |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925073244/https://opener.pl/en/history-10/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Another important summer event in Gdynia is the Viva Beach Party, which is a large two-day [[techno]] party made on Gdynia's Public Beach and a summer-welcoming concerts CudaWianki. Gdynia also hosts events for the annual [[Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival]].<br />
In the summer of 2014 Gdynia hosted [[Red Bull Air Race World Championship]].

=== Cultural references ===
In 2008, Gdynia made it onto the ''[[Monopoly (game)#Monopoly Here and Now|Monopoly Here and Now World Edition]]{{Broken anchor|date=18 September 2024|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Monopoly (game)#Monopoly Here and Now|reason= The anchor (Monopoly Here and Now) [[Special:Diff/1186938100|has been deleted]].}}'' board after being voted by fans through the Internet. Gdynia occupies the space traditionally held by [[Mediterranean Avenue]], being the lowest voted city to make it onto the Monopoly Here and Now board, but also the smallest city to make it in the game. All of the other cities are large and widely known ones, the second smallest being Riga. The unexpected success of Gdynia can be attributed to a mobilization of the town's population to vote for it on the Internet.

An abandoned factory district in Gdynia was the scene for the survival series ''Man vs Wild'', season 6, episode 12. The host, [[Bear Grylls]], manages to escape the district after blowing up a door and crawling through miles of sewer.

[[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]], the supervillain in the [[List of James Bond novels and short stories|James Bond novels]], was born in Gdynia on 28 May 1908, according to ''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]''.

Gdynia is sometimes called "Polish [[Roswell, New Mexico|Roswell]]" due to the alleged [[UFO]] crash on 21 January 1959.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ufocasebook.com/polandcrashes.html |title=Poland UFO Crashes, UFO Casebook Files |first=B. J. |last=Booth |work=ufocasebook.com |access-date=24 July 2016 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002412/http://www.ufocasebook.com/polandcrashes.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ufologie.patrickgross.org/ce3/1959-01-21-poland-gdynia.htm |work=UFOs at close sight |title=URECAT-000112 — January 21, 1959, Gdynia, Gdanskie, Poland, beach guards and doctors |first=Patrick |last=Gross |access-date=24 July 2016 |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818200410/http://ufologie.patrickgross.org/ce3/1959-01-21-poland-gdynia.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvp.pl/wiedza/aktualnosci/ufo-nad-gdynia-czyli-polskie-roswell/3830096 |title=UFO nad Gdynią, czyli… polskie Roswell |date=21 January 2011 |work=[[TVP.pl]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124035903/http://www.tvp.pl/wiedza/aktualnosci/ufo-nad-gdynia-czyli-polskie-roswell/3830096 |archive-date=24 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl/trojmiasto/1,35612,14557902,Gdynia_polskim_Roswell__Legendy_o_UFO_i_tajnych_broniach.html |title=Gdynia polskim Roswell? Legendy o UFO i tajnych broniach III Rzeszy |date=6 September 2013 |first=Krzysztof |last=Katka |work=[[Wyborcza.pl]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160724161547/http://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl/trojmiasto/1,35612,14557902,Gdynia_polskim_Roswell__Legendy_o_UFO_i_tajnych_broniach.html?disableRedirects=true |archive-date=24 July 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=24 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://strefatajemnic.onet.pl/ufo/ufo-rozbilo-sie-w-polsce/nd0g3 |title=UFO rozbiło się w Polsce |first=Piotr |last=Cielebiaś |date=7 July 2013 |work=StrefaTajemnic.onet.pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102092658/http://strefatajemnic.onet.pl/ufo/ufo-rozbilo-sie-w-polsce/nd0g3 |archive-date=2 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://niewiarygodne.pl/kat,1031991,title,Katastrofa-UFO-w-Gdyni-Czy-to-polskie-Roswell,wid,15268503,wiadomosc.html |title=Katastrofa UFO w Gdyni. Czy to polskie Roswell? |date=22 January 2014 |work=niewiarygodne.pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125015828/http://niewiarygodne.pl/kat,1031991,title,Katastrofa-UFO-w-Gdyni-Czy-to-polskie-Roswell,wid,15268503,wiadomosc.html |archive-date=25 January 2014}}</ref>

== Sports ==
{{main|Sport in Tricity}}
[[File:Stadion rugby w Gdyni 06.jpg|thumb|right|National Rugby Stadium]]<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Sport teams'''
* [[Arka Gdynia]] – men's [[Football in Poland|football]] team ([[Polish Cup]] winner 1979 and 2017, [[Polish SuperCup]] winner in 2017 and in 2018. Currently plays in the first division of Polish football, the [[Ekstraklasa]])
* [[Bałtyk Gdynia]] – men's [[Football in Poland|football]] team, currently playing in Polish 4th division
* [[Arka Gdynia (basketball)]] – men's basketball team (9 time [[Polish Basketball League]] winner)
* [[Arka Gdynia (women's basketball)]] – women's basketball team (12-time [[Basket Liga Kobiet]] champion)
* [[RC Arka Gdynia]] – rugby team (4-time Polish Champions)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkarugby.pl/historia-rugby.html |title=Historia Rugby Club Arka Gdynia |publisher=Arkarugby.pl |date=26 May 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521063801/http://www.arkarugby.pl/historia-rugby.html |archive-date=21 May 2013}}</ref>
* [[Seahawks Gdynia]] – American football team ([[Polish American Football League]]) (4-time champion of Poland in 2012, 2014 and in 2015)
* Arka Gdynia (handball) – handball team which plays in Ekstraliga (First division of Polish handball)

=== International events ===

*[[2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship]]
*[[2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup]]
*[[2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships]]

== Economy and infrastructure ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 218
| header = 
| image1 = ORP iskra na tle Stoczni Gdynia.JPG
| alt1 = Stocznia Gdynia
| caption1 = [[Stocznia Gdynia|Gdynia Shipyard]]
| image2 = Gdynia BCT 29.jpg
| alt2 = Seaport
| caption2 = [[Port of Gdynia]]
}}

=== Transport ===
==== Port of Gdynia ====
{{Main|Port of Gdynia}}

In 2007, 364,202 passengers, 17,025,000 tons of cargo and {{TEU|614,373}} containers passed through the port. Regular [[Ferry|car ferry]] service operates between Gdynia and Karlskrona, Sweden.

==== Public transport ====
{{Main|Trolleybuses in Gdynia}}

Gdynia operates one of only three [[trolleybus]] systems in Poland, alongside [[Lublin]] and [[Tychy]]. Today there are 18 trolleybus lines in Gdynia with a total length of {{convert|96|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}. The fleet is modern and consists of [[Solaris Trollino]] cars. There is also a historic line, connecting city centre with a district of [[Orłowo, Gdynia|Orłowo]] operated by five retro trolleybuses. In addition to that, Gdynia operates an extensive network of bus lines, connecting the city with the adjacent suburbs.

==== Airport ====
The conurbation's main airport, [[Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport]], lays approximately {{convert|25|km|mi}} south-west of central Gdynia, and has connections to approximately 55 destinations. It is the third largest airport in Poland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historia lotniska |url=http://www.airport.gdansk.pl/airport/airport_history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918212635/http://www.airport.gdansk.pl/airport/airport_history |archive-date=18 September 2013 |access-date=12 March 2013 |website=Airport.Gdansk.pl |publisher=[[Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport]]}}</ref> A second [[General Aviation]] terminal was scheduled to be opened by May 2012, which will increase the airport's capacity to 5mln passengers per year.

Another local airport, ([[Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport]]) is situated partly in the village of [[Kosakowo, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Kosakowo]], just to the north of the city, and partly in Gdynia. This has been a military airport since the World War II, but it has been decided in 2006 that the airport will be used to serve civilians.<ref>{{cite web |title=About airport |url=http://airport.gdynia.pl/en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521143543/http://airport.gdynia.pl/en |archive-date=21 May 2013 |access-date=12 March 2013 |work=Airport.Gdynia.pl |publisher=Port Lotniczy Gdynia-Kosakowo}}</ref> Work was well in progress and was due to be ready for 2012 when the project collapsed following a February 2014 EU decision regarding Gdynia city funding as constituting unfair competition to Gdańsk airport. In March 2014, the airport management company filed for bankruptcy, this being formally announced in May that year. The fate of some PLN 100&nbsp;million of public funds from Gdynia remain unaccounted for with documents not being released, despite repeated requests for such from residents to the city president, [[Wojciech Szczurek]].

==== Road transport ====
[[Trasa Kwiatkowskiego]] links [[Port of Gdynia]] and the city with [[Obwodnica Trójmiejska]], and therefore [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1 motorway]]. [[National road 6 (Poland)|National road 6]] connects [[Tricity, Poland|Tricity]] with [[Słupsk]], [[Koszalin]] and [[Szczecin agglomeration]].

==== Railways ====
[[File:Dworzec Gdynia Główna (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Gdynia Główna railway station|Gdynia Główna]], the city's main railway station]]
The principal station in Gdynia is [[Gdynia Główna railway station]], the busiest railway station in the Tricity and northern Poland and sixth busiest in Poland overall, serving 13,41 mln passengers in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wymiana pasażerska na stacjach |url=https://dane.utk.gov.pl/sts/przewozy-pasazerskie/wymiana-pasazerska-na-s/18886,Przewozy-pasazerskie.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008142701/https://dane.utk.gov.pl/sts/przewozy-pasazerskie/wymiana-pasazerska-na-s/18886,Przewozy-pasazerskie.html |archive-date=8 October 2022 |access-date=25 February 2023 |website=Portal statystyczny UTK |language=pl}}</ref> Gdynia has eleven railway stations. Local train services are provided by the 'Fast Urban Railway,' [[Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity)]] operating frequent trains covering the [[Tricity, Poland|Tricity]] area including [[Gdańsk]], [[Sopot]] and Gdynia. Long-distance trains from Warsaw via Gdańsk terminate at Gdynia, and there are direct trains to [[Szczecin]], [[Poznań]], [[Katowice]], [[Lublin]] and other major cities. In 2011-2015 the Warsaw-Gdańsk-Gdynia route was undergoing a major upgrading costing $3&nbsp;billion, partly funded by the [[European Investment Bank]], including track replacement, realignment of curves and relocation of sections of track to allow speeds up to {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, modernization of stations, and installation of the most modern [[European Train Control System|ETCS]] signalling system, which was completed in June 2015. In December 2014 new [[Alstom]] [[Pendolino]] high-speed trains were put into service between Gdynia, Warsaw and [[Kraków]] reducing rail travel times to Gdynia by 2 hours.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 December 2014 |title=Polish Pendolino launches 200 km/h operation |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/polish-pendolino-launches-200-kmh-operation.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216062725/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/polish-pendolino-launches-200-kmh-operation.html |archive-date=16 December 2014 |access-date=24 December 2014 |work=[[Railway Gazette International]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=30 July 2013 |title=Pendolino z Trójmiasta do Warszawy |trans-title=Pendolino from Tri-city to Warsaw |url=http://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Pendolino-z-Trojmiasta-do-Warszawy-Wiecej-pytan-niz-odpowiedzi-n71010.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728035932/http://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Pendolino-z-Trojmiasta-do-Warszawy-Wiecej-pytan-niz-odpowiedzi-n71010.html |archive-date=28 July 2014 |access-date=24 December 2014 |work=Trojmiasto.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

=== Economy ===
[[File:Pesa SA133-031, Województwo Pomorskie (PKM) (41368347674).jpg|thumb|[[Pesa Atribo|Pesa Atribo SA133]] of the [[Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity)|Tricity Fast Urban Railways]] (SKM) departing from [[Gdynia Główna railway station|Gdynia]]]]
'''Notable companies that have their headquarters or regional offices in Gdynia''':
* [[PROKOM SA]] – the largest Polish I.T. company
* [[C. Hartwig Gdynia SA]] – one of the largest Polish freight forwarders
* [[Sony Pictures]] – finance center
* [[Thomson Reuters]] – business data provider
* [[Vistal]] – bridge constructions, offshore and shipbuilding markets; partially located on old [[Stocznia Gdynia]] terrains
* [[Nauta shipyard|Nauta]] – ship repair yard; partially located on old Stocznia Gdynia terrains
* [[Crist Yard|Crist]] – shipbuilding, offshore constructions, steel structures, sea engineering, civil engineering; located on old Stocznia Gdynia terrains

'''Former''':
* [[Stocznia Gdynia]] – former largest Polish shipyard, now under bankruptcy procedures
* [[Nordea]] – banks, sold and consolidated with [[PKO Bank Polski|PKO]] bank

== Education ==
[[File:Department of Nautical Science.JPG|thumb|[[Gdynia Maritime University]], Faculty of Navigation]]
[[File:Akademia Marynarki Wojennej budynek nr 7.jpg|thumb|[[Polish Naval Academy]]]]
There are currently 8 [[university|universities]] and institutions of higher education based in Gdynia. Many students from Gdynia also attend universities [[List of Polish universities|located in the Tricity]].

* State-owned:
** [[Gdynia Maritime University]]
** [[Polish Naval Academy]]
* Privately owned:
** [[WSB Merito Universities]] – WSB Merito University in Gdańsk,<ref>[http://www.wsb.pl/english/about-wsb-group/wsb-gdansk WSB University in Gdańsk] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214134342/http://www.wsb.pl/english/about-wsb-group/wsb-gdansk |date=14 February 2016 }} - WSB Universities</ref> departments of Economics and Management
** Academy of International Economic and Political Relations
** University of Business and Administration in Gdynia
** Pomeranian Higher School of Humanities
** [[Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw|Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University]] – department in Gdynia
** Higher School of Social Communication

== Notable people ==
{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=220|align=right
| image1 = 2018 - Pol’and’Rock Festival - Jacek Fedorowicz 05.jpg
| image2 = Senyszyn, Joanna-2405.jpg
| image3 = Jans Ignacik RG16 (1) (27369353346).jpg
| image4 = 20160814 Basketball ÖBV Vier-Nationen-Turnier 4428.jpg
| footer = Prominent people from Gdynia, clockwise from upper left: [[Jacek Fedorowicz]], [[Joanna Senyszyn]], [[Klaudia Jans-Ignacik]] and [[Olek Czyż]]
}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Stanisław Baranowski]] (1935–1978), glaciologist, undertook scientific expeditions to Spitsbergen and Antarctica
* [[Karol Olgierd Borchardt]] (1905–1986), writer and captain of the Polish Merchant Marine
* [[Krzysztof Charamsa]] (born 1972), former Catholic theologian and author
* [[Zbigniew Ciesielski]] (1934–2020), mathematician
* [[Adam Darski]] (born 1977), musician and TV personality, frontman for the blackened death metal band [[Behemoth (band)|Behemoth]]
* [[Wiesław Dawidowski]] (born 1964), [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Catholic priest, doctor of theology and journalist
* [[Rafał de Weryha-Wysoczański]] (born 1975), art historian, genealogist and writer
* [[Jacek Fedorowicz]] (born 1937), satirist and actor
* [[Tova Friedman]] (born 1938), therapist, social worker, author and [[Holocaust survivor]]
* [[Eugeniusz Geno Małkowski]] (1942–2016), painter
* [[Gunnar Heinsohn]] (born 1943), German author, sociologist and economist
* [[Klaus Hurrelmann]] (born 1944), Professor of Public Health and Education
* [[Hilary Jastak]] (1914–2000 in Gdynia), Catholic priest, Doctor of Theology, Chaplain of Solidarity movement, Major of Polish Armed Forces, Lieutenant Commander of the Polish Navy
* [[Jan Kaczkowski]] (1977–2016), Roman Catholic priest, doctor of theological sciences, bioethicist, vlogger, organizer, and director of the Puck Hospice
* [[Janusz Kaczmarek]] (born 1961), lawyer, prosecutor and politician
* [[Marcin Kupinski]] (born 1983), ballet dancer
* [[Tomasz Makowiecki]] (born 1983), musician, singer and songwriter
* [[Dorota Nieznalska]] (born 1973), visual artist and sculptor
* [[Kazimierz Ostrowski]] (1917–1999 in Gdynia), painter
* [[Anna Przybylska]] (1978–2014), actress and model
* [[Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld]] (1922–1978), Polish-American [[rabbi]] and educator
* [[Jerzy Rubach]] (born 1948), Polish and American linguist who specializes in phonology
* [[Arkadiusz Rybicki]] (1953–2010), politician, active in the Solidarity movement
* [[Joanna Senyszyn]] (born 1949), left-wing politician, vice-president of the [[Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)|Democratic Left Alliance]] (SLD) and [[member of the European Parliament|MEP]]
* [[Anna Siewierska]] (1955–2011), Polish-born linguist, specialist in language typology
* [[Wojciech Szczurek]] (born 1963), Mayor of the City of Gdynia since 1998
* [[Józef Unrug]] (1884–1973), German-born Polish vice admiral who helped create the Polish navy
* [[Marian Zacharski]] (born 1951), Intelligence officer convicted of espionage
* [[Marek Żukowski]] (born 1952), theoretical physicist, specializes in quantum mechanics
{{div col end}}

=== Sport ===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* [[Teresa Remiszewska]] (1928–2002), Solo ocean yacht sailor
* [[Jörg Berger]] (1944–2010), German soccer player, trainer
* [[Adelajda Mroske]] (1944–1975), speed skater, she competed in four events at the [[1964 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Ryszard Marczak]] (born 1945), former long-distance runner from Poland, competed in the marathon at the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Józef Błaszczyk]] (born 1947), sailor who competed in the [[1972 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Andrzej Chudziński]] (1948–1995), swimmer, competed in three events at the [[1972 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Anna Sobczak]] (born 1967), fencer, competed in the women's individual and team foil events at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]] and [[1992 Summer Olympics]] 
* [[Tomasz Sokołowski (born 1970)|Tomasz Sokołowski]] (born 1970), footballer, over 350 pro games and 12 for Poland
* [[Jarosław Rodzewicz]] (born 1973), fencer, won a silver medal in the team foil event at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Marcin Mięciel]] (born 1975), soccer player, over 500 pro games
* [[Michael Klim]] (born 1977), Polish-born Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist and world champion
* [[Anna Rybicka]] (born 1977), fencer, she won a silver medal in the women's team foil event at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Andrzej Bledzewski]] (born 1977), retired football goalkeeper, over 400 pro games
* [[Tomasz Dawidowski]] (born 1978), footballer, over 200 pro games and 10 for Poland
* [[Maciej Grabowski (sailor)|Maciej Grabowski]] (born 1978), laser class sailor, competed in the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]], [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]] and [[2008 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Adriana Dadci]] (born 1979), judoka, competed at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Stefan Liv]] (1980–2011), Polish-born Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender
* [[Monika Pyrek]] (born 1980), retired pole vaulter, competed at the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]], [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]] [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Anna Rogowska]] (born 1981), pole vaulter, the bronze medallist at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Michał Zych]] (born 1982), ice dancer
* [[Karolina Chlewińska]] (born 1983), foil fencer, competed at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Igor Janik]] (born 1983), javelin thrower, competed in the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Klaudia Jans-Ignacik]] (born 1984), retired tennis player, competed in the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]] 
* [[Piotr Hallmann]] (born 1987), mixed martial artist, second lieutenant in the Polish Navy
* [[Joanna Mitrosz]] (born 1988), rhythmic gymnast, competed at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Małgorzata Białecka]] (born 1988), windsurfer, competed at [[2016 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Olek Czyż]] (born 1990), professional basketball player, played for Poland
* [[Justyna Plutowska]] (born 1991), ice dancer
{{div col end}}

===Fictional characters===
* [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] (born 28 May 1908 in Gdingen), fictional character and villain from the [[James Bond]] series of novels and films, created by [[Ian Fleming]]

==International relations==
===Consulates===
[[File:Building of the representation Chipolbrok in Gdynia.jpg|thumb|Building hosting the Honorary Consulate of Norway]]
There are 10 honorary consulates in Gdynia – [[Belgium]], [[Chile]], [[Cyprus]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Malta]], [[Norway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gdansk.pl/turystyka-w-gdansku/konsulaty,a,3749|title=Wykaz konsulatów - informacja według stanu na 4 września 2024 r.|access-date=19 September 2024|language=pl}}</ref>

===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}
Gdynia is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Współpraca z miastami siostrzanymi |url=https://www.gdynia.pl/bip/miasta-siostrzane/wspolpraca-z-miastami-siostrzanymi,341487 |website=gdynia.pl |publisher=Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Urzędu Miasta Gdyni |language=pl |access-date=2 April 2021 |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417084136/https://www.gdynia.pl/bip/miasta-siostrzane/wspolpraca-z-miastami-siostrzanymi,341487 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{Flag icon|Denmark}} [[Aalborg Municipality|Aalborg]], Denmark
* {{Flag icon|Belarus}} [[Baranavichy]], Belarus
* {{Flag icon|USA}} [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn (New York)]], United States
* {{Flag icon|KOR}} [[Busan]], South Korea
* {{Flag icon|France}} [[Côte d'Opale|Côte d'Opale (communauté)]], France
* {{Flag icon|China}} [[Haikou]], China
* {{Flag icon|Sweden}} [[Karlskrona Municipality|Karlskrona]], Sweden
* {{Flag icon|GER}} [[Kiel]], Germany
* {{Flag icon|Lithuania}} [[Klaipėda]], Lithuania
* {{Flag icon|FIN}} [[Kotka]], Finland
* {{Flag icon|NOR}} [[Kristiansand]], Norway
* {{Flag icon|EST}} [[Kunda, Estonia|Kunda (Viru-Nigula)]], Estonia
* {{Flag icon|Latvia}} [[Liepāja]], Latvia
* {{Flag icon|UK}} [[Plymouth]], England, United Kingdom
* {{Flag icon|USA}} [[Seattle]], United States
* {{Flag icon|TWN}} [[Kaohsiung]], Taiwan<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gdynia.pl/mieszkaniec/co-nowego,2774/gdynia-i-kaohsiung-podpisaly-umowe-o-partnerstwie,591062 |title=Gdynia i Kaohsiung podpisały umowę o partnerstwie |language=Polish |trans-title=Gdynia and Kaohsiung signed a partnership agreement |work=Gdynia City Government |location=Gdynia |date=2025-09-25 |accessdate=2025-10-23|archive-date=2025-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023133549/https://www.gdynia.pl/mieszkaniec/co-nowego,2774/gdynia-i-kaohsiung-podpisaly-umowe-o-partnerstwie,591062|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

Former twin towns:
*{{Flag icon|RUS}} [[Kaliningrad]], Russia (terminated in 2022 due to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dziennikbaltycki.pl/gdynia-do-przegladu-umowy-partnerskie-do-kasacji-raz-dwa-felieton-zygmunta-zmudy-trzebiatowskiego/ar/c1-16078685 |language=pl |title=GDYNIA DO PRZEGLĄDU: Umowy partnerskie do kasacji - raz, dwa...? Felieton Zygmunta Zmudy Trzebiatowskiego |date=6 March 2022 |access-date=8 March 2022 |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409021703/https://dziennikbaltycki.pl/gdynia-do-przegladu-umowy-partnerskie-do-kasacji-raz-dwa-felieton-zygmunta-zmudy-trzebiatowskiego/ar/c1-16078685 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal|Poland|EU}}
* [[Gdynia trolleybus]]
* [[Ports of the Baltic Sea]]
* [[St. Anthony parish, Gdynia]]
* [[Wiczlino, Gdynia]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* (ed.) R. Wapiński, ''Dzieje Gdyni'', Gdańsk 1980
* (ed.). S. Gierszewski, ''Gdynia'', Gdańsk 1968
* ''Gdynia'', in: Pomorze Gdańskie, nr 5, Gdańsk 1968
* J. Borowik, ''Gdynia, port Rzeczypospolitej'', Toruń 1934
* B. Kasprowicz, ''Problemy ekonomiczne budowy i eksploatacji portu w Gdyni w latach 1920–1939'', Zapiski Historyczne, nr 1-3/1956
* M. Widernik, ''Główne problemy gospodarczo-społeczne miasta Gdyni w latach 1926–1939.'', Gdańsk 1970
* (ed.) A. Bukowski, ''Gdynia. Sylwetki ludzi, oświata i nauka, literatura i kultura'', Gdańsk 1979
* ''Gminy województwa gdańskiego'', Gdańsk 1995
* H. Górnowicz, Z. Brocki, ''Nazwy miast Pomorza Gdańskiego'', Wrocław 1978
* Gerard Labuda (ed.), ''Historia Pomorza'', vol. I-IV, Poznań 1969–2003
* (ed.) W. Odyniec, ''Dzieje Pomorza Nadwiślańskiego od VII wieku do 1945 roku'', Gdańsk 1978
* L. Bądkowski, ''Pomorska myśl polityczna'', Gdańsk 1990
* L. Bądkowski, W. Samp, ''Poczet książąt Pomorza Gdańskiego'', Gdańsk 1974
* B. Śliwiński, ''Poczet książąt gdańskich'', Gdańsk 1997
* Józef Spors, ''Podziały administracyjne Pomorza Gdańskiego i Sławieńsko-Słupskiego od XII do początków XIV w'', Słupsk 1983
* M. Latoszek, ''Pomorze. Zagadnienia etniczno-regionalne'', Gdańsk 1996
* B. Bojarska, ''Eksterminacja inteligencji polskiej na Pomorzu Gdańskim (wrzesień-grudzień 1939)'', Poznań 1972
* K. Ciechanowski, ''Ruch oporu na Pomorzu Gdańskim 1939–1945.'', Warsaw 1972

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons}}
* [http://stefanbatoryoceanliner.weebly.com/gdynia-port.html/ Gdynia Port - Home for all Polish Ocean Liners]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070912054618/http://www.gdynia.pl/eng/ Gdynia city website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101202084407/http://robertgrubba.com/galerie/wnetrza/plenery/klif_gdynia_plaza_orlowo/ Virtual tour on Gdynia's coast]
* [http://www.gdanskguide.eu/GdyniaENG/index.html Gdynia tourist guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425135011/http://www.gdanskguide.eu/GdyniaENG/index.html |date=25 April 2019 }}
* [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g274726-Gdynia_Pomerania_Province_Northern_Poland-Vacations.html/ Gdynia Tripadvisor]
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