Gdynia description, location, history. Poland map.

Gdynia description, location, history. Poland map.

Gdynia is an important seaport at Gdańsk Bay located on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. Along with two other cities, Sopot and Gdańsk, Gdynia form a metropolitan area called the Tri-City or Triple City (Trójmiasto). It is one one the youngest Polish cities, built as a maritime window on the world.

The first reference to the village which was given to the the Order of Norbertan Sisters from Żukowo dates back to 1209.

It was not until 1253, however, that the first reference was made to the village named Gdynia, which was located at the Chyloński Potok estuary to the Baltic sea (in old records the name of the village was Gdina). The village had a fishing harbour and a boathouse. In the documents of Wolimir, the then Kujavian Bishop, one can find a note that Gdynia belonged to the parish of Oksywie (the first church on the this part of the Baltic Sea coast).

The village was conquered by the Teutonic Order in 1308.

In 1429, Carthusians appointed one village administrator for Gdynia and Grabówek; they also changed the annual obligation and thus instead of supplying Carthusians with fish, the villagers had to pay the tribute in cash. What is more, the rent for the Inn which the Carthusians built earlier was doubled. The territory of the village was enlarged by annexing the neighbouring meadows, and Grabówek received a large area of the forest mainly used as a fire-wood and building material.

In 1634, hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski and Jan Pleitner offered king Ladislaus IV to build military port in Gdynia. The plan was never realized. In the roadstead of Gdynia, the goods from the shore brought by the boats were reloaded.

During the First Partition of Poland, on September 18, 1772, Gdynia was annexed into the Kingdom of Prussia; the Prussian Commissioner took over the Cartusian Order with all its property.

In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles (signed on June 28, 1919), Gdynia got an access to the Baltic Sea on January 10, 1921.

On January 18, Polish Armed Forces started to take over Pomerania and the seaside.