Modernism in Gdynia and UNESCO

The modernist architecture of the City Center of Gdynia is a step closer to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city has been included on the Tentative List. It is the last stage before being placed onto the main list.

The information about this crucial event was communicated by Minister Magdalena Gawin, Chief Conservator, in the letter addressed to the participants of the 7th International Conference entitled “Modernism in Europe, modernism in Gdynia”.

I am pleased to inform you that last week, I sent an application to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris to request that the modernism City Centre of Gdynia be included on the list (…). Thus, we have started the procedure that will make it possible to place the urban complex of Gdynia on the UNESCO World Heritage List. I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the municipality and residents of Gdynia. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that one of the most important international conferences devoted to modern architecture takes place in this magical place. I would like to congratulate the Mayor of Gdynia, Wojciech Szczurek, for filing the application with the UNESCO, the letter reads.

The efforts aiming at placing the City Centre of Gdynia on the UNESCO World Heritage List began many years ago. The Municipal Conservator’s Office, which was established twenty years ago, has taken care of the modernist architecture of the city. In 2007, the local government submitted an application for inclusion of the City Centre of Gdynia in the voivodeship register of historic monuments, which enabled the city to apply for the status of Historic Monument of Poland.The city was awarded this title in 2015 by virtue of the regulation issued by the President of the Republic of Poland. Thanks to this, the City Centre of Gdynia has joined a group of the most important historic monuments in Poland.

The self government kept taking actions whose aim was to promote and popularize both history and architecture of the city. Since 2007, Gdynia has been organizing international conferences under the slogan “Modernism in Europe – Modernism in Gdynia” devoted to the presentation of the latest research on modernist architecture and conservation issues related to it. Upon request of the city, Agencja Rozwoju Gdyni (Gdynia Development Agency) carries out a project of the Gdynia Modernism Trail which involves organizing experts’ lectures, themed walks around historical buildings, contests and various events.

fot. gdynia.pl