Śródmieście ( meaning "city centre", "

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

") is the central borough ''(

dzielnica In the Poland, Polish system of local administration, a dzielnica (Polish plural ''dzielnice'') is an administrative subdivision or quarter (country subdivision), quarter of a city or town. A dzielnica may have its own elected council (''rada dzi ...

)'' of the city of

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...

. It borders the following districts:

Oksywie Oksywie (german: Oxhöft, csb, Òksëwiô) is a neighbourhood of the city of Gdynia, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. Formerly a separate settlement, it is older than Gdynia by several centuries. Etymology Both the Polish and then Germ ...

, Obłuże, Pogórze (all three from the north), Chylonia, Leszczynki, Grabówek (all three from the west), Forest Plots and Kamienna Góra (from the south), and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

History

Gdynia, Dworzec Morski 1935-1939 (67264122)

Gdynia City Center was established mainly in the 1920s and 1930s. The

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

character of the center was created by such architects as Adam Kuncewicz and Roman Feliński. Gdynia's downtown survived the war practically undamaged. During the

Nazi occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

, the Germans changed the name of the district to ''Stadtmitte''. In 1998, the Port district was incorporated into Śródmieście. Świętojańska is the oldest and most representative street in the city. In 2015, the modernist layout of Gdynia City Center entered the list of historical monuments of Poland. On September 26, 2019, the Modernist Center of Gdynia was placed on the UNESCO tentative list (as of 2020, Poland lists six properties on its tentative list). According to the nomination justification, ''the Modernist Center of Gdynia is unique as a heritage site of European town planning and architecture in which the ideals of Modernism have been confronted with the changing needs of a growing city and port.'' As of 2020, the UNESCO

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

includes urban layouts of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

, Brasilia, and

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

Preservation and documentation

At the end of 2021, as part of the KLIMATyczne Centrum project, the authorities of Gdynia announced the creation of new green areas, limiting car traffic and parking spaces, introducing one-way traffic on Świętojańska Street, and redevelopment of Władysława IV, Wójta Radtke, Jana z Kolna and 3 Maja Streets, several buffer car parks on the outskirts of Śródmieście, revitalization of 10 Lutego, Starowiejska and Abrahama Streets, changes to Kaszubski Square and Aleja Jana Pawła II. Gdynia_-_ul

A historical importance of the city formed the basis of an exhibition called ''Gdynia – Tel Aviv'' and curated by Dr Artur Tanikowski. It coincided with the centennial of the founding of Gdynia and Bahaus School, 110th anniversary of

. The exhibition explored architectural and cultural links of two ‘white cities’ by the sea, opened at the Polin Museum of Jewish History in 2019 and traveled to the Gdynia City Museum. ''Modernism in Europe – Modernism in Gdynia'' international conference takes place every year since 2007. Gdynia Modernism Trail is created and maintained by the Gdynia Development Agency.

Notable monuments

There are several facilities and institutions in Śródmieście: Gdynia z lotu ptaka - 057

* Gdynia City Hall * Gdynia District Court (Constitution Square 5) *

Gdynia Główna Railway Station Gdynia Główna railway station (Polish language, Polish for ''Gdynia main station'') is the main railway station serving the city of Gdynia, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The station opened in 1921 and is located on the Nowa Wieś Wielk ...

(Constitution Square) * City Market Halls (ul. Wójta Radtkego 36/40) * Office building of the

Social Insurance Institution The Social Insurance Institution ( pl, Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) is a Polish state organization responsible for social insurance Social insurance is a form of social welfare that provides insurance against economic risks. The i ...

(former

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and s ...

Building, ul. 10 Lutego 24, corner of ul. 3 Maja) * BGK housing complex (ul. 3 Maja 27-31, corner of ul. 10 Lutego and corner of ul. Batorego) * Port Construction Office (ul. Washingtona 38) * Abraham's House (ul. Starowiejska 30) * House of the Swedish Seaman (ul. Jana z Kolna 25)

Gdynia Seaport

ORP Błyskawica w nowym kamuflażu - 02-01-2012

* Marine Station **

Emigration Museum The Emigration Museum (in Polish: Muzeum Emigracji) is a museum located in the city of Gdynia, Poland. Opened to the public on 16 May 2015, it showcases 200 years of Polish emigrations, from the 19th century to modern days. It is located in the fo ...

* Southern Pier ** ''

Dar Pomorza The ''Dar Pomorza'' ( en, Gift of Pomerania) is a Polish full-rigged sailing ship built in 1909 which is preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship. She has served as a sail training ship in Germany, France, and Poland. ''Dar Pomorza'' won the Cutty ...

'' ** ''

ORP Błyskawica ORP ''Błyskawica'' (Lightning) is a which served in the Polish Navy during World War II. It is the only Polish Navy ship to have been decorated with the '' Virtuti Militari'', Poland's highest military order for gallantry, and in 2012 was give ...

'' * Gdynia Aquarium * House of the Polish Sailor

Modernist townhouses

* Pręczkowski Tenement House (Kościuszko Square 10-12) * Peszkowski Tenement House (Kościuszko Square 14) * Krenski House (ul. Świętojańska 55) * Orłowski House (ul. Świętojańska 68) * Hundsdorff House (ul. Starowiejska 7) File:Gdynia, Skwer Kościuszki 10-12 - fotopolska.eu (259412).jpg , Pręczkowski House File:KAMIENICA PESZKOWSKIEGO 02.jpg, Peszkowski House File:Gdynia, Świętojańska 55 (4) - czupirek 2013.jpg, Krenski House File:Kamienica na ul. Świętojańskiej w Gdyni, by PrzemaS93 (2) (cropped).JPG, Orłowski House File:Gdynia kamienica Hundsdorffow.jpg, Hundsdorff House

References

External links

* {{Authority control Modernist architecture in Poland 1930s in Poland Modernist heritage districts Gdynia 1920s in Poland