Gdynia - A City on the Amber Sea
We do not hide what our intention is - it is to bewitch and seduce you and make you travel to the ends of the Earth! Have a look at the map: geographic latitude 54.50 North; longitude 18o33'E. This is our address: Europe, Poland, Gdynia - in other words a beautiful harbour city on the Baltic Sea, with a population of a quarter million.
In far-off countries, our generally calm Baltic sea is often confused with the Balkans. This is a perfect opportunity to rectify this erroneous association.
We will be using the most appealing photos and most convincing words - perfectly aware that we have to compete for your hearts and minds with other wonderful regions of the World. We have our strengths - at the same time we realize that our invitation is addressed to the inhabitants of beautiful Japan, and of her equally attractive neighbours.
* * *
It is absolutely gorgeous at dawn. At this hour, it is good to come to the beach at the foot of a steep cliff to witness the primeval rite of the Sun rising above the horizon and wakening Gdynia while the crisp breeze drives away the remnants of the night.
The lucky ones greet this sunny city on board a tall ship or a yacht entering the harbour early in the morning. What the sailor can see then is the hills lit with the early sun and grown with beech and Swedish whitebeam; the bright white of houses amid thick verdure, the lofty church steeples, the cross at Kamienna Góra and the steel-gleaming port cranes and ships. And the sailor - whether one returning home or one visiting our country for the first time - can feel that this is where Poland begins
* * *
The best thing is to be a Gdynia resident, but this is the privilege enjoyed by few (249.5 thousand inhabitants). What we can suggest to the remaining 6 billion inhabitants of the globe is that they at least visit our city - it is beautiful, comfortable and, according to scientists, the sunniest Polish city (1,671 hours of sunshine annually). Deriders say one day is enough to see Gdynia. But they say the same about Paris
* * *
Gdynia is one of the youngest Polish cities. When in 1920, following WWI and the Versailles Treaty, Poland regained access to the sea, it was decided that a modern port and a town be built here - at the site of a small fishing village. In this way Gdynia became a major national investment project.
Since the very beginning, Gdynia has been fortunate in getting the right kind of people to come - attracted by the sun and the cheerful and optimistic character of the place. It is the bravest, most unyielding and ingenious people that have been coming - those who would find it difficult to make their dreams and daring ideas come true anywhere else. To date, Gdynia is a token of romantic entrepreneurship rooted in Polish tradition, which is blended with patriotism, courage and striving for freedom.
He who comes to Gdynia can experience many of the advantages it offers, like clean water and air, good roads, modern and environment-friendly public transport, ample energy resources, availability of all kinds of services; those which make up the business environment like banking or insurance as well as those determining the quality of life. Gdynia is attractive owing to its rapid growth in virtually all areas and the unmatched dynamism of its citizens.
There is everything here: the port - a gateway to Poland; a major road, rail and sea transport node, providing access to major European cities The port of Gdynia ranks among the best in the Baltic region, as it is not only a cargo-handling facility but also an international business centre.
Gdynia also means four modern shipyards, benefiting from the boom in the industry through profitable contracts. However, apart from the industries which actually gave birth to the city, companies associated with the 21st century scientific disciplines - IT and biotechnology - have been booming in recent years.
Gdynia has a well-developed business environment sector - companies specialising in finance, consultancy, brokerage, R&D and data processing. Gdynia is among top Polish cities in terms of single foreign investments in excess of a million US dollars. Someone who ties up big money usually checks carefully beforehand where he is doing so.
Gdynia has a 100-hectare area of developed land between the city centre and the port - a rarity in European scale. This is the City Centre Development Zone, which is to host a modern district in which the port functions and the city functions are to overlap. The city can also offer attractive land to investors wanting to build hotels and boarding houses, especially in the waterfront area.
* * *
Although Gdynia is so young, you can find buildings here dating from hundreds of years ago: the 13th-century Archangel Michael church at Oksywie, the 17th-century buildings of the Kolibki estate, once frequently visited by Polish king John III Sobieski and his beloved wife, the beautiful Marie-Casimire, or the neo-Gothic manor house dating from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries at Orłowo.
Gdynia has a history as well as artefacts - for this reason a museum is nearing completion at the heart of the city, in the vicinity of the beach and the Musical Theatre. It is to be run jointly by the city and the Navy. The museum is to open in 2006 - Gdynia's anniversary year. Among the exhibits, there will certainly be the skeleton of a woman who lived here two thousand years ago, now kept in a storeroom.
Gdynia architecture of the twenties and thirties of the 20th century also deserves attention. It is in those years that the modernist style of Gdynia originated; structurally advanced, functional and containing details characteristic of naval architecture - porthole-like windows and bridge-like superstructures. The modernist forms can be found in both public buildings and private villas. After many years, the style is recalled by the designers of today - this is what makes Gdynia stylish, despite its young age.
* * *
One of Gdynia's nicest features, apart from its likeable size, is the direct proximity of the city centre and the water. Without haste, in a matter of minutes, you may get on foot from the busy streets of Świętojańska, 10 Lutego and Starowiejska to Skwer Kościuszki - the prestigious part of the port.
It is here that two ships are moored, recognised as symbols not only by the Poles. The ORP Błyskawica, the only surviving destroyer - WWII veteran, and the Dar Pomorza - the white tall ship, a classic beauty, a globetrotter and winner of many races. Both are used as museums now. The retired Dar Pomorza would sometimes be used as a theatrical stage, yet it more frequently hosts marine writers, as on board her new books are ceremonially named or launched with a rose dipped in champagne. Is there another place where the birth of a book is so romantic? Other attractions of the place are the Aquarium of the Sea Fisheries Institute, housing hundreds of exotic specimens of marine wildlife; hydrofoil, boat or even balloon cruises. And the sailing-ship masts; big ferries, merchant ships and picturesque fishing cutters entering or leaving the harbour; the horizon at sunrise and sunset The beauty of all this, breath-taking at every time of the year, can only be matched by great art.
* * *
If you have started your walk in Skwer Kościuszki, you will certainly want to call at the beach, too. It is beautiful, wide and golden - full of sunshine from dawn to dusk. Getting back to the city centre is not tiring - a mere five minutes' walk to the high street. And if you care for yachting, sailing boats are waiting in the marina nearby.
You may, of course, decide to sidestep and go up Kamienna Góra to delight in the beautiful view from its top. From here you can see the panorama of the city, the woody hills, the port and the sea - to the boundless horizon and the scythe-like Hel peninsula showing faintly in the distance. It is one of the most beautiful Polish landscapes - a real export commodity. Kamienna Góra is a good start of your further Gdynia itinerary.
So it is really worth the effort of climbing 100 steps, pausing half way up, to a vast terrace 52.5 metres above the sea level. You will be rewarded with a beautiful park - a secret garden, a flowery haven of serenity. When you are here you are likely to forget there is a humming city below. No wonder lovers like coming here; also music lovers are attracted here for the proms in the summer.
Another lovely route is along the Bulwar Nadmorski promenade. Its main function is to protect the cliff from the assaulting waves, yet at the same time it has been a major attraction of the city for thirty years now.
In the early morning, you can meet healthy-lifestyle enthusiasts here - jogging, cycling, walking their dogs or using the special exercising facilities. The bravest of them are the "walruses" - bathing in the cold sea in winter.
* * *
In Gdynia you do not have to travel beyond the city boundaries to enjoy the closeness of unspoilt nature. Residential areas are either near the sea, or near the forest, and the air in Gdynia is rich in iodine and the smell of pine resin. One of Poland's olds nature reserves - Kępa Redłowska with its steep cliff - is the daily walking route for many of Gdynia's residents, as it is virtually in the middle of the city. Residential areas are frequently visited by hedgehogs and wild boars, which do not seem to be afraid of people.
Also swans, cormorants and wild ducks have come to like Gdynia. Their thousands-strong colonies spend the winter here, fed by the people.
* * *
Anyone who decides to walk or ride across the woody cliff along the shore is most likely to have great experience. From here, 50 metres above the seal level, on nearly every summer day you can watch and admire racing yachts; and every few years you will see a tall ship parade. A walk on the beach at the foot of the cliff towards Orłowo is also romantic. The place is beautiful, no matter what time of the year it is, and different after every storm as waves swallow up bits of the cliff and seize mighty trees and boulders into the maelstrom. They also reveal the secrets of military fortifications - now the relic of the past and a unique tourist attraction. Amber is not easy to find on Gdynia beaches, but seashells and million-year-old fossils are quite common. With luck and skill, you may come across garnets, turquoises and agates.
* * *
A lot of sunshine, coastal breeze, closeness of nature - maybe this is why one breathes deeply here, one wants to live and create something?
Artists in Gdynia are allured by water and sunshine. Graphic and theatrical artists have found a venue for their arts at the foot of the cliff in the residential district of Orłowo. The stage on the beach is unique. Midday rehearsals are accompanied by the scream of seagulls and the hubbub of children playing in the sand. At dusk, however, when the audience come, the actors perform Shakespeare, Chekhov and Gombrowicz speaking the hexameter measured out by waves pounding the shore.
* * *
Gdynia offers great conditions for various sports, including dangerous sports for people with courage and character. Most are connected with the water and the wind; they are, after all, the prevailing elements.
In recent years, many dangerous sports clubs have been established in Gdynia - hang-gliding, ballooning, scuba diving, dog sledging (or carting) or winter sea-bathing in icy water. Nevertheless, the sport with the longest history and most numerous club facilities is yachting. Gdynia is, after all, often referred to as the yachting capital of Poland. The conditions offered here are excellent - there is a modern and safe marina as well as an attractive Gulf of Gdańsk basin to race in. The annual Idea Gdynia Sailing Days held in late July and early August attract the best sailors of the world. In 2003 Gdynia hosted for the third time the rally of the largest tall ships in the world - the event seen by 1.5 million spectators. Gdynia has the largest marina in Poland - constantly upgraded and offering the support facilities needed by the weary visitors. What makes it attractive is, among others, its location nearly in the city centre with all its attractions. Yachting families, who call at Gdynia in growing numbers, find a hospitable and, above all, safe haven here. Gdynia also offers excellent conditions for cycling, especially mountain cycling (this is because Gdynia is the second most undulated city in Poland, after the city of Zakopane - the Polish Sapporo).
The offer for those who like doing things is supplemented by swimming pools, tennis courts, playing fields, a skating rink, athletics halls, fitness clubs, cycling routes through the forest, fitness trails, canoes and beach volleyball.
* * *
There are more than twenty people in Gdynia who are 100 years old or more. In 2001 the most senior citizen of Gdynia celebrated her 107th birthday. In October 2005 a similar occasion will be celebrated by a male. The oldest entrant for a long-distance cross-country race which Gdynia regularly organises was eighty-three! This probably is no coincidence.
Nature, i.e. good climate, clean air, attractive recreational grounds within easy reach of the residential areas, coupled with the ever-improving infrastructure translate into quality of life and recreation, and at the end of the day, into good health and longevity.
* * *
The world on a plate, or national cuisines: Polish, Greek, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese; you can also find vegetarian food, frutti di mare or fast foods in Gdynia. And Japanese cuisine and its lovers, too, Polish cooking, with its specialities like bigos sauerkraut meal, red beet soup, mushroom soup or żurek soup, is present in the menu of all restaurants in Gdynia. Try it! Another story is frutti di mare - like in every seaside location. In Gdynia you can eat fried Baltic fish just delivered from the cutter; delicious flounder, cod or eel.
* * *
One of Gdynia's chief specialities is the shops. It is like paradise for all those who enjoy shopping. The fact is acknowledged by the local people, but also by visitors, some of whom come specially to rummage through shops. This includes Scandinavians arriving on Stena Line ferries from Karlskrona in Sweden as well as passengers of huge cruise liners calling at the Gdynia port in the Summer. It is good to do shopping in Gdynia, because there are shops for every type of customer; prestigious ones for the more affluent on the one hand, and well-supplied, inexpensive hypermarkets on the other. The latter can be quickly reached by special no-fare buses. Furthermore, Gdynia is a well-designed city, not too large, with well-organised modern public transport - you can hardly get lost here. The high street is Świętojańska and is a shopping avenue with hundreds of smart shops and boutiques, dozens of bars, pubs and cafés and pavement cafés and cafeterias in the summer. The avenue is designed for pedestrians in the first place and is popular with both residents and visitors. It can hardly be compared with Shinjuku, Ginza or Shibuya of Tokyo, yet it is certainly one of the trendiest Polish streets, a landmark indeed.
* * *
The inhabitants of Gdynia like enjoying themselves and are good at it. They begin, naturally, by greeting the New Year in the open air. For obvious reasons (the climate!) the best outdoor events take place in the Summer. There are concerts accompanied by a show of fireworks and laser images against the background of the sky, attracting dozens of thousands of spectators to Skwer Kościuszki; there are shanty festivals, usually taking place on board sailing boats or tall ships; there are SAR operation shows, or the cadets from the Maritime or Naval Academies taking oath - as part of the traditional Maritime Days. It is then that a lot of visitors both from inland Poland and abroad come to our city, marking the beginning of the summer vacation and the tourist season.
A recent attraction, although not entertainment in the classic sense of the word, is the "picnic of knowledge" which has developed into the Festival of Science, which propagates the achievement of researchers studying the secrets of seas and oceans, as well as of other disciplines. An event worth watching is certainly the balloon contest. As there is a group of keen balloonists in Gdynia, balloonists from all across Poland and from abroad come to Gdynia in the Summer. Their contest and the night show of illuminated balloons in the marine scenery of Skwer Kościuszki attract thousands.
Gdynia bids farewell to the Summer in Polana Redłowska. For many years a three-day's picnic has been held here in the third decade of September, coupled with the fair of the fruits of the forests, orchards, gardens and the sea - all this in colourful, folk adornment.
* * *
Gdynia's great neighbours is another advantage. If you decide on a holiday in Gdynia, you should take the opportunity and see the other parts of the conurbation, visit the Swedish Karlskrona - only 9 hours by ferry or the Russian Kaliningrad - 1.5 hours by hydrofoil.
Gdynia, Sopot and Gdańsk are mutually complementary: Gdańsk stands for one thousand years of history, Sopot is a spa and Gdynia - the youngest of the three - offers a larger dose of the sea than any other Polish town and city, and the greatest number of sunny days during the year.
Do you feel seduced?
In far-off countries, our generally calm Baltic sea is often confused with the Balkans. This is a perfect opportunity to rectify this erroneous association.
We will be using the most appealing photos and most convincing words - perfectly aware that we have to compete for your hearts and minds with other wonderful regions of the World. We have our strengths - at the same time we realize that our invitation is addressed to the inhabitants of beautiful Japan, and of her equally attractive neighbours.
* * *
It is absolutely gorgeous at dawn. At this hour, it is good to come to the beach at the foot of a steep cliff to witness the primeval rite of the Sun rising above the horizon and wakening Gdynia while the crisp breeze drives away the remnants of the night.
The lucky ones greet this sunny city on board a tall ship or a yacht entering the harbour early in the morning. What the sailor can see then is the hills lit with the early sun and grown with beech and Swedish whitebeam; the bright white of houses amid thick verdure, the lofty church steeples, the cross at Kamienna Góra and the steel-gleaming port cranes and ships. And the sailor - whether one returning home or one visiting our country for the first time - can feel that this is where Poland begins
* * *
The best thing is to be a Gdynia resident, but this is the privilege enjoyed by few (249.5 thousand inhabitants). What we can suggest to the remaining 6 billion inhabitants of the globe is that they at least visit our city - it is beautiful, comfortable and, according to scientists, the sunniest Polish city (1,671 hours of sunshine annually). Deriders say one day is enough to see Gdynia. But they say the same about Paris
* * *
Gdynia is one of the youngest Polish cities. When in 1920, following WWI and the Versailles Treaty, Poland regained access to the sea, it was decided that a modern port and a town be built here - at the site of a small fishing village. In this way Gdynia became a major national investment project.
Since the very beginning, Gdynia has been fortunate in getting the right kind of people to come - attracted by the sun and the cheerful and optimistic character of the place. It is the bravest, most unyielding and ingenious people that have been coming - those who would find it difficult to make their dreams and daring ideas come true anywhere else. To date, Gdynia is a token of romantic entrepreneurship rooted in Polish tradition, which is blended with patriotism, courage and striving for freedom.
He who comes to Gdynia can experience many of the advantages it offers, like clean water and air, good roads, modern and environment-friendly public transport, ample energy resources, availability of all kinds of services; those which make up the business environment like banking or insurance as well as those determining the quality of life. Gdynia is attractive owing to its rapid growth in virtually all areas and the unmatched dynamism of its citizens.
There is everything here: the port - a gateway to Poland; a major road, rail and sea transport node, providing access to major European cities The port of Gdynia ranks among the best in the Baltic region, as it is not only a cargo-handling facility but also an international business centre.
Gdynia also means four modern shipyards, benefiting from the boom in the industry through profitable contracts. However, apart from the industries which actually gave birth to the city, companies associated with the 21st century scientific disciplines - IT and biotechnology - have been booming in recent years.
Gdynia has a well-developed business environment sector - companies specialising in finance, consultancy, brokerage, R&D and data processing. Gdynia is among top Polish cities in terms of single foreign investments in excess of a million US dollars. Someone who ties up big money usually checks carefully beforehand where he is doing so.
Gdynia has a 100-hectare area of developed land between the city centre and the port - a rarity in European scale. This is the City Centre Development Zone, which is to host a modern district in which the port functions and the city functions are to overlap. The city can also offer attractive land to investors wanting to build hotels and boarding houses, especially in the waterfront area.
* * *
Although Gdynia is so young, you can find buildings here dating from hundreds of years ago: the 13th-century Archangel Michael church at Oksywie, the 17th-century buildings of the Kolibki estate, once frequently visited by Polish king John III Sobieski and his beloved wife, the beautiful Marie-Casimire, or the neo-Gothic manor house dating from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries at Orłowo.
Gdynia has a history as well as artefacts - for this reason a museum is nearing completion at the heart of the city, in the vicinity of the beach and the Musical Theatre. It is to be run jointly by the city and the Navy. The museum is to open in 2006 - Gdynia's anniversary year. Among the exhibits, there will certainly be the skeleton of a woman who lived here two thousand years ago, now kept in a storeroom.
Gdynia architecture of the twenties and thirties of the 20th century also deserves attention. It is in those years that the modernist style of Gdynia originated; structurally advanced, functional and containing details characteristic of naval architecture - porthole-like windows and bridge-like superstructures. The modernist forms can be found in both public buildings and private villas. After many years, the style is recalled by the designers of today - this is what makes Gdynia stylish, despite its young age.
* * *
One of Gdynia's nicest features, apart from its likeable size, is the direct proximity of the city centre and the water. Without haste, in a matter of minutes, you may get on foot from the busy streets of Świętojańska, 10 Lutego and Starowiejska to Skwer Kościuszki - the prestigious part of the port.
It is here that two ships are moored, recognised as symbols not only by the Poles. The ORP Błyskawica, the only surviving destroyer - WWII veteran, and the Dar Pomorza - the white tall ship, a classic beauty, a globetrotter and winner of many races. Both are used as museums now. The retired Dar Pomorza would sometimes be used as a theatrical stage, yet it more frequently hosts marine writers, as on board her new books are ceremonially named or launched with a rose dipped in champagne. Is there another place where the birth of a book is so romantic? Other attractions of the place are the Aquarium of the Sea Fisheries Institute, housing hundreds of exotic specimens of marine wildlife; hydrofoil, boat or even balloon cruises. And the sailing-ship masts; big ferries, merchant ships and picturesque fishing cutters entering or leaving the harbour; the horizon at sunrise and sunset The beauty of all this, breath-taking at every time of the year, can only be matched by great art.
* * *
If you have started your walk in Skwer Kościuszki, you will certainly want to call at the beach, too. It is beautiful, wide and golden - full of sunshine from dawn to dusk. Getting back to the city centre is not tiring - a mere five minutes' walk to the high street. And if you care for yachting, sailing boats are waiting in the marina nearby.
You may, of course, decide to sidestep and go up Kamienna Góra to delight in the beautiful view from its top. From here you can see the panorama of the city, the woody hills, the port and the sea - to the boundless horizon and the scythe-like Hel peninsula showing faintly in the distance. It is one of the most beautiful Polish landscapes - a real export commodity. Kamienna Góra is a good start of your further Gdynia itinerary.
So it is really worth the effort of climbing 100 steps, pausing half way up, to a vast terrace 52.5 metres above the sea level. You will be rewarded with a beautiful park - a secret garden, a flowery haven of serenity. When you are here you are likely to forget there is a humming city below. No wonder lovers like coming here; also music lovers are attracted here for the proms in the summer.
Another lovely route is along the Bulwar Nadmorski promenade. Its main function is to protect the cliff from the assaulting waves, yet at the same time it has been a major attraction of the city for thirty years now.
In the early morning, you can meet healthy-lifestyle enthusiasts here - jogging, cycling, walking their dogs or using the special exercising facilities. The bravest of them are the "walruses" - bathing in the cold sea in winter.
* * *
In Gdynia you do not have to travel beyond the city boundaries to enjoy the closeness of unspoilt nature. Residential areas are either near the sea, or near the forest, and the air in Gdynia is rich in iodine and the smell of pine resin. One of Poland's olds nature reserves - Kępa Redłowska with its steep cliff - is the daily walking route for many of Gdynia's residents, as it is virtually in the middle of the city. Residential areas are frequently visited by hedgehogs and wild boars, which do not seem to be afraid of people.
Also swans, cormorants and wild ducks have come to like Gdynia. Their thousands-strong colonies spend the winter here, fed by the people.
* * *
Anyone who decides to walk or ride across the woody cliff along the shore is most likely to have great experience. From here, 50 metres above the seal level, on nearly every summer day you can watch and admire racing yachts; and every few years you will see a tall ship parade. A walk on the beach at the foot of the cliff towards Orłowo is also romantic. The place is beautiful, no matter what time of the year it is, and different after every storm as waves swallow up bits of the cliff and seize mighty trees and boulders into the maelstrom. They also reveal the secrets of military fortifications - now the relic of the past and a unique tourist attraction. Amber is not easy to find on Gdynia beaches, but seashells and million-year-old fossils are quite common. With luck and skill, you may come across garnets, turquoises and agates.
* * *
A lot of sunshine, coastal breeze, closeness of nature - maybe this is why one breathes deeply here, one wants to live and create something?
Artists in Gdynia are allured by water and sunshine. Graphic and theatrical artists have found a venue for their arts at the foot of the cliff in the residential district of Orłowo. The stage on the beach is unique. Midday rehearsals are accompanied by the scream of seagulls and the hubbub of children playing in the sand. At dusk, however, when the audience come, the actors perform Shakespeare, Chekhov and Gombrowicz speaking the hexameter measured out by waves pounding the shore.
* * *
Gdynia offers great conditions for various sports, including dangerous sports for people with courage and character. Most are connected with the water and the wind; they are, after all, the prevailing elements.
In recent years, many dangerous sports clubs have been established in Gdynia - hang-gliding, ballooning, scuba diving, dog sledging (or carting) or winter sea-bathing in icy water. Nevertheless, the sport with the longest history and most numerous club facilities is yachting. Gdynia is, after all, often referred to as the yachting capital of Poland. The conditions offered here are excellent - there is a modern and safe marina as well as an attractive Gulf of Gdańsk basin to race in. The annual Idea Gdynia Sailing Days held in late July and early August attract the best sailors of the world. In 2003 Gdynia hosted for the third time the rally of the largest tall ships in the world - the event seen by 1.5 million spectators. Gdynia has the largest marina in Poland - constantly upgraded and offering the support facilities needed by the weary visitors. What makes it attractive is, among others, its location nearly in the city centre with all its attractions. Yachting families, who call at Gdynia in growing numbers, find a hospitable and, above all, safe haven here. Gdynia also offers excellent conditions for cycling, especially mountain cycling (this is because Gdynia is the second most undulated city in Poland, after the city of Zakopane - the Polish Sapporo).
The offer for those who like doing things is supplemented by swimming pools, tennis courts, playing fields, a skating rink, athletics halls, fitness clubs, cycling routes through the forest, fitness trails, canoes and beach volleyball.
* * *
There are more than twenty people in Gdynia who are 100 years old or more. In 2001 the most senior citizen of Gdynia celebrated her 107th birthday. In October 2005 a similar occasion will be celebrated by a male. The oldest entrant for a long-distance cross-country race which Gdynia regularly organises was eighty-three! This probably is no coincidence.
Nature, i.e. good climate, clean air, attractive recreational grounds within easy reach of the residential areas, coupled with the ever-improving infrastructure translate into quality of life and recreation, and at the end of the day, into good health and longevity.
* * *
The world on a plate, or national cuisines: Polish, Greek, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese; you can also find vegetarian food, frutti di mare or fast foods in Gdynia. And Japanese cuisine and its lovers, too, Polish cooking, with its specialities like bigos sauerkraut meal, red beet soup, mushroom soup or żurek soup, is present in the menu of all restaurants in Gdynia. Try it! Another story is frutti di mare - like in every seaside location. In Gdynia you can eat fried Baltic fish just delivered from the cutter; delicious flounder, cod or eel.
* * *
One of Gdynia's chief specialities is the shops. It is like paradise for all those who enjoy shopping. The fact is acknowledged by the local people, but also by visitors, some of whom come specially to rummage through shops. This includes Scandinavians arriving on Stena Line ferries from Karlskrona in Sweden as well as passengers of huge cruise liners calling at the Gdynia port in the Summer. It is good to do shopping in Gdynia, because there are shops for every type of customer; prestigious ones for the more affluent on the one hand, and well-supplied, inexpensive hypermarkets on the other. The latter can be quickly reached by special no-fare buses. Furthermore, Gdynia is a well-designed city, not too large, with well-organised modern public transport - you can hardly get lost here. The high street is Świętojańska and is a shopping avenue with hundreds of smart shops and boutiques, dozens of bars, pubs and cafés and pavement cafés and cafeterias in the summer. The avenue is designed for pedestrians in the first place and is popular with both residents and visitors. It can hardly be compared with Shinjuku, Ginza or Shibuya of Tokyo, yet it is certainly one of the trendiest Polish streets, a landmark indeed.
* * *
The inhabitants of Gdynia like enjoying themselves and are good at it. They begin, naturally, by greeting the New Year in the open air. For obvious reasons (the climate!) the best outdoor events take place in the Summer. There are concerts accompanied by a show of fireworks and laser images against the background of the sky, attracting dozens of thousands of spectators to Skwer Kościuszki; there are shanty festivals, usually taking place on board sailing boats or tall ships; there are SAR operation shows, or the cadets from the Maritime or Naval Academies taking oath - as part of the traditional Maritime Days. It is then that a lot of visitors both from inland Poland and abroad come to our city, marking the beginning of the summer vacation and the tourist season.
A recent attraction, although not entertainment in the classic sense of the word, is the "picnic of knowledge" which has developed into the Festival of Science, which propagates the achievement of researchers studying the secrets of seas and oceans, as well as of other disciplines. An event worth watching is certainly the balloon contest. As there is a group of keen balloonists in Gdynia, balloonists from all across Poland and from abroad come to Gdynia in the Summer. Their contest and the night show of illuminated balloons in the marine scenery of Skwer Kościuszki attract thousands.
Gdynia bids farewell to the Summer in Polana Redłowska. For many years a three-day's picnic has been held here in the third decade of September, coupled with the fair of the fruits of the forests, orchards, gardens and the sea - all this in colourful, folk adornment.
* * *
Gdynia's great neighbours is another advantage. If you decide on a holiday in Gdynia, you should take the opportunity and see the other parts of the conurbation, visit the Swedish Karlskrona - only 9 hours by ferry or the Russian Kaliningrad - 1.5 hours by hydrofoil.
Gdynia, Sopot and Gdańsk are mutually complementary: Gdańsk stands for one thousand years of history, Sopot is a spa and Gdynia - the youngest of the three - offers a larger dose of the sea than any other Polish town and city, and the greatest number of sunny days during the year.
Do you feel seduced?
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