# GDYNIA AND SOPOT – Nightsky's trip to Gdansk's neighbour cities



## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*On my trip to Gdansk, I also visited the other cities in the Tricity area, Gdynia and Sopot, on a daytrip This is a thread about them, starting with Gdynia. *

*
ABOUT Gdynia 

Population: 248 000 (metro 1 081 000)
Country: Poland
Tallest building: Sea Towers (144m)
Region: Pomerania
Founded year (city rights): 1926
Area: 135 km²
Year visited: 2014 

ABOUT GDYNIA
Gdynia is the second largest city in the tricity together which also includes Gdansk and Sopot. It is an important seaport city in the Gdansk Bay in the Baltic Sea with a big shipyard, Stocznia Gdynia. It is a very new city, it got the city rights in 1926 and therefore has no really old buildings. Gdynia grew from a village to a city when the seaport started consruction in 1921. The construction progress went very slowly because of financial issues. In 1925 the city started to be constructed. When the Germans occupied the city and the seaport in 1939, they called Gdynia Gotenhafen after the goths, an ancient German tribe who have lived in the area. The Gotenhafen concentration camp was also located there! When the city was captured by the Russians in 1945 it was renamed Gdynia. During the solidarity movement in 1970, strikes also took place at the shipyard of Gdynia. The fictious name of one of the workers who were shot to death, Janek Wisniewski, has named one of the major streets. 10 Lutego is the most important avenue of Gdynia. It is filled with grey modernist buildings and leads to the harbour with its pier and the Sea Towers, the new skyscrapers that have became the new symbol for modern Gdynia.

MY EXPERIENCE
We visited Gdyania for a few hours, as part of the daytrip to Sopot. It is a pretty grey and dull city, since most of the city was built up in the 1920s with much prewar funcionalist and post war socialist architecture, and there is no old town. On top of that the weather also turned grey when we arrived. The nicest area is the harbour, where you find Sea Towers, these skyscrapers are the only buildings that stand out. There are also some nice ships that you can visit, but during our visit they were just about to close. By some reason, as a contrast to the greyness,*the city felt more friendly and genuine, and less touristy then the other cities.

We also visited Gdansk, the main destination on the trip, and the beautiful resort town Sopot, both also part of the Tricity metropolitan area.

Click on the link below to read more and watch the pictures: *

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Gdynia.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Gdynia - City center (Sródmiescie)
10 LUTEGO, JANEK WISNIEWSKI, ST MARY'S CHURCH, SWIETOJANSKA


Gdynia's city center is the oldest part of the city, but still not older then from the 1920s. Just like the rest of the city, the city center is filled with prewar modernist, funcionalist and monumentalist buildings, many of them grey and in dull style but it is interesting to see the architecture of the era. Few cities have so many buildings in funcionalist (funcis) style. Its main street, 10 Lutego, is an avenue that leads to the seaport, where it extends at Kosciuzko Square into the Southern Pier. Most important buildings are concentrated around this avenue. One of the few buildings in older style in Gdynia is the catholic church. 
DLUGA:









Skyline of Gdynia seen from the train station with typical modernist residential highrises and a modern church, Wzgórze Św. Maksymiliana, ul. Ujejskiego.









Gdynia Main Station, Dworzec Podmiejski, is where we got off from the train from Sopot and Gdansk. The other tricities are all less then an hour away by regional trains.



























10 Lutego, main road of Gdynia



























Batory shopping center on 10 Utlego is one of the most recent building in central Gdynia. 






















































6-storey building rebuilt in a more postmodern style.


http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Gdynia_City.html


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos from Gdynia


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks, Christos!









Swietojanska street with St Mary's Church. 









Gdynia built in LEGO inside a glass exhibition center 









St Mary's Church (Kosciol pw Najswietszej Marii Oanny) at Plac Jana Pawla II on Swietojanska street. Built in 1924, this is one of the few buildings in downtown Gdynia built in an older architecture. At the church there is a bookstore dedicated to the former pope, John Paul II (Jan Pawel II), who was Polish.













































Statue of John Paul II at Plac Jana Pawla II 



























Teatr Murzyczny, a modern theater




































St Mary's Church (Kosciol pw Najswietszej Marii Oanny) at Plac Jana Pawla II on Swietojanska street. 









3 Maja street. The cool grey building to the left is Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus , built between 1957 and 1966. The glass tower to the right is the MultiBank.









Swietojanska street, Northwards looking towards Plac Kaszubski. The brand new highrise to the right is one of few postmodern buildings in Gdynia.









10 Utlego, looking towards the high hills in the West. 









Orbis Hotel, the tallest hotel in Gdynia









Sea Towers is a mixed-use skyscraper is the tallest building in Gdynia and the Tricity area and the second tallest residential building and 10th tallest skyscraper in Poland (2014). It has since its completion just next to the sea in 2009 became the foremost symbol of Gdynia. Sea Towers consist of two buildings connected with a 5-storey skybridge, the tallest one is 125.4m to the roof (143.6m to the antenna) and has 36 floors, the lower one has 28 floors. Even thought it looks much more modern then most other highrises of Gdynia, even this building is built in grey and white colours. More, lower highrises are built around it. The apartments have nice views over the Gdansk Bay.

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Gdynia_City.html


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## Wapper (Feb 24, 2011)

Very interssting to see a typical Polish city :cheers:


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Wapper said:


> Very interssting to see a typical Polish city :cheers:


Thanks!:cheers: I don't think it's so typical though. Most Polish cities have historic city centers while Gdynia was developed as late as 1920s, and has a lot of functionalist buildings.


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## Iluminat (Jan 16, 2008)

It's also wealthier than average, especially for this size. Other cities in Poland where a lot of this functionalist architecture survived are Katowice and Warsaw.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Sopot of course is more beautiful then Gdynia, but I must admit I liked Gdynia for its big city feeling and socialist architecture.


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## JanVL (Jun 25, 2012)

Benonie said:


> Sopot of course is more beautiful then Gdynia, but I must admit I liked Gdynia for its big city feeling and socialist architecture.


Mainly modernist in the center, not socialist, dating from the 20's. Gdynia is one of the pearls of the Polish state that only gained independence 3 years before construction started and managed to created a quite vibrant city and big port out of a fisher's town. The seaport was needed since Gdansk was not fully controlled by Poland and could not be used independently.


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## WMS (Nov 20, 2005)

Gdynia is great, the only city in Poland i'd like to live (except Warsaw) :cheers:


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## thomas_zul (Feb 11, 2009)

Benonie said:


> Sopot of course is more beautiful then Gdynia, but I must admit I liked Gdynia for its big city feeling and socialist architecture.


I tend to disagree. Sopot is just different. It's a small resort town with lots of old architecture, small buildings with wooden parts and decorations. It's calm, quiet and not really vibrant (architecture-wise) in most areas and quite party on weekdays and summer. Gdynia on the other hand is really vibrant, built out of nowhere in late 20's and all 30's (so it's modernism of course, not socialism), there are so much things going on and you get that feel of a big city (for our standards, of course) when you live here day by day for 365 days a week.

So, when we speak about Trojmiasto area there are Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk (I'm not counting smaller cities around) and everyone of them is better in different things and aspects. For example: Sopot is your place to be if you have tons of cash and would like to live in an old villa and enjoy parties which take place there on weekdays and in whole summer season. If you like modern city that is open for sea then go to Gdynia, Gdansk has some of this and some of that and is the biggest one and has much more history vibe (stereotypical) in itself than Gdynia and Sopot combined, so it's your place.

It's just not that Sopot is better or more beautiful than Gdynia or Gdansk or vice versa  Every of those three cities has something that you'll like or not.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Beautiful, very nice photos from these cities


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks for all comments! :cheers:



thomas_zul said:


> I tend to disagree. Sopot is just different. It's a small resort town with lots of old architecture, small buildings with wooden parts and decorations. It's calm, quiet and not really vibrant (architecture-wise) in most areas and quite party on weekdays and summer. Gdynia on the other hand is really vibrant, built out of nowhere in late 20's and all 30's (so it's modernism of course, not socialism), there are so much things going on and you get that feel of a big city (for our standards, of course) when you live here day by day for 365 days a week.
> 
> So, when we speak about Trojmiasto area there are Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk (I'm not counting smaller cities around) and everyone of them is better in different things and aspects. For example: Sopot is your place to be if you have tons of cash and would like to live in an old villa and enjoy parties which take place there on weekdays and in whole summer season. If you like modern city that is open for sea then go to Gdynia, Gdansk has some of this and some of that and is the biggest one and has much more history vibe (stereotypical) in itself than Gdynia and Sopot combined, so it's your place.
> 
> It's just not that Sopot is better or more beautiful than Gdynia or Gdansk or vice versa  Every of those three cities has something that you'll like or not.


Very good explanation. As a tourist I preferred Sopot over Gdynia since there are more attractions, the beach, old buildings (lighthouse, crooked house) etc. Its a nice place for a daytrip so we spent several more hours more in Sopot then in Gdynia. But I would probably prefer to live in Gdansk or Gdynia since more things happen there. It is harder to find the attractions in Gdynia, and we were a bit unlucky with grey weather and that the ship museum just closed when we went to the pier. More pics of Gdynia (harbour area) and Sopot will come!


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## thomas_zul (Feb 11, 2009)

I respect that you like Sopot more but there are plenty of attractions and things to do in Gdynia too 

We have of course modernist buildings which should be very interesting if you're into architecture and photography. Sadly, their staricases are not usually open to public, but there are regular events (in June, July and August) when you travel around different parts of city (mainly Srodmiescie/Downtown district) and listen to history about specific buildings and their famous residents etc. You can also visit some staircases then and most of them I think are really great for archi fan: this and this is one, this is another and this is from one building that you've caught here (in this building there are several of them).

There are big cruise ships in summer season in port, nearby Museum of Emigration which will be open in refurbished pre-war building next year.

Infobox (you've been there) has an observation deck but there is one more good observation tower opened from early April to late October. There is a panoramic view. There's one shot from up there (not mine as well): here.

And of course Heineken Open'er. One of, if not the, biggest music events in our part of Europe. It's well known.

We also have some interesting beaches like one in Babie Doly or Orlowo. Orlowo is a very shy place, nice to contemplate the views over bay and nature.

And I need to tell that every one of this place can be incredibly different depending on the weather, time of year, time of day or night and things like that.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks for the info Thomas, Gdynia is a nice city.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

PORT OF GDYNIA:

Gdynia has a large seaport. The main avenue, 10 Lutego, leads from the city center to the seaport, where you find the new landmark of Gdynia, Sea Towers, that are also the tallest buildings in the Tricity area. You will also find an artifical peninsual, Southern Pier, that is an extension of 10 Lutego. At Kosciuzko Square, that was visited by the former pope in 1987, there are several fountains and monuments dedicated to seamen. The Polish Navy has their headquarters there. From the seaport there are regular car ferry services to Karlskrona, Sweden.









Sea Towers, tallest skyscraper in the Tricity area.



























Gdynia Fountain in front of Sea Towers



























Gdynia Fountain is an impressive modernist fountain at Kosciuszko Square on 10 Lutego avenue, situated where the port begins.









Promenade in the middle of 10 Lutego towards the seaport


















Polish Sailors Monument at Kosciuszko Square in the middle of 10 Utlego where the avenue enters the seaport area. This square is the place where pope John Paul II met the citizens of Gdynia on 11th of June 1987.









9/11 memorial. Poland has a strong relationship with USA. 

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Gdynia_Seaport.html


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## thomas_zul (Feb 11, 2009)

There are many things to change in Gdynia. For example Kosciuszko Square (Skwer Kosciuszki), Sea Towers postindustrial area and many more. Good thing is that there are plans and some of these things are in progress (buildings near Sea Towers).

I hope Gdynia and prewar modernist architecture will get more attention some day.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

thomas_zul said:


> There are many things to change in Gdynia. For example Kosciuszko Square (Skwer Kosciuszki), Sea Towers postindustrial area and many more. Good thing is that there are plans and some of these things are in progress (buildings near Sea Towers).
> 
> I hope Gdynia and prewar modernist architecture will get more attention some day.


Hopefully it will help by a bit with thread. I will also put the pictures on my website.  Unfortunately many people who go to Gdansk skip Gdynia and Sopot. Btw, I really liked the fountain at the square!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Blyskawica is an old torpedo warship that has been turned into a museum, sitauted in the dock along Southern Pier, an extension of 10 Lutego.


















Dar Pomorza is a sailship that has been transformed into a museum. It was built in 1908. Unfortunately it had just closed at the time of our visit. 


















One of the two mock pirate ships, Dragon and Regina, that cruise the Gdansk Bay from Gdynia. They have a bar and a grill restaurant on-board. They sail in May-September and become floating restaurants other times of the year.




























Monument to the sailors who died at the sea. This tall monument resembles the Three Crosses Monument in Gdansk.









Sea Towers and the pirate ship at the Southern Pier, that was built in 1930.


















Gdynia Aquarium (Akwarium Gdynskie)




































There are many beaches and green hills around Gdynia

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Gdynia_Seaport.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*SOPOT

ABOUT Sopot 

Population: 38 000 (metro 1 081 000)
Country: Poland
Tallest building: St George's Church
Region: Pomerania
Founded year (city rights): 1901
Area: 17.31 km²
Year visited: 2014 

ABOUT Sopot

Sopot is a city that is situated between Gdansk and Gdynia with about 38 000 inhabitants. It is a nice resort town that is famous for its spa, casino and a long beach on the Southern coast of the Baltic sea. It also has Europe's longest and oldest wooden pier (that we visited by night), two large de luxe hotels, a famous strange crooked house, a firehouse that we visited to see the views and a nice, hilly pedestrian street called Montecassino. It is famous for its international song festival. It has been a popular holiday resort for Polish and German aristocrats since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1919 it became part of the free city of Danzig (that's what the Germans called Gdansk when they took control over the area). It has survived the two world wars and the decline during the communist regime well. Sopot (together with Warsaw) boasts the highest property prices in Poland.

MY EXPERIENCE

We went to Sopot as a daytrip from Gdansk, went to Gdynia for a couple of hours and then back to have diner in Sopot in the evening. Sopot is a very nice city to visit and a must if you are in Gdansk, it feels like the Polish riviera with its long beach, open-air restaurants, pedestrian streets and cosmopolitan atmosphere. The weather was ok for September, mixed sun and clouds.

Click on the link below to read more and watch the pictures: *

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Sopot.html



VIEWS OF SOPOT:

Let's start with the skyline views to get an overview of the city. They were taken from this old lighthouse in the city center:


















The lighthouse, Zabytkowa Latarnia Morska, was built in 1904. It is 30m tal and was built as a part of a grand casino complex in the 1920s.


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