Gdynia Dom Marynarza to Be Revitalised into Modern Hotel

The news in Polish

1. portowy
   odnoszący się do portu, związany z portem ↩︎
2. władza  (f.)
   organy lub osoby sprawujące kontrolę i zarządzające danym obszarem lub miastem ↩︎
3. odnowić
   przywrócić coś do pierwotnego stanu, naprawić i odświeżyć ↩︎
4. marynarz  (m.)
   osoba pracująca na statku, żeglarz ↩︎
5. lista  (f.)
   zbiór zapisanych pozycji, rzeczy lub osób w określonej kolejności ↩︎
6. architektura  (f.)
   sztuka i nauka projektowania oraz wznoszenia budynków ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: How old is the city of Gdynia?

Question 2: In what year was the Dom Marynarza building constructed?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
portowy	port
władza  (f.)	authorities
odnowić	to renovate
marynarz  (m.)	sailor
lista  (f.)	list
architektura  (f.)	architecture

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Gdynia, the Polish port city celebrating the 100th anniversary of receiving its city charter, is marking the occasion with plans to revitalise one of its most iconic modernist buildings — and a bid to have its city centre listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The building known today as Dom Marynarza (Seamen’s House) was originally constructed in 1928 as the Dom Zdrojowy (Spa House), designed by Warsaw architect Adam Knauff on the Kamienna Góra hill. At the time of its construction, it was one of the most exclusive seaside resorts in interwar Poland, featuring a hotel section and a spa area equipped with 26 baths for therapeutic sea-water treatments. During the German occupation it operated under the name Marine Gemeinschaftsheim Strandhotel, and after 1945 it was taken over by the Polish Navy before passing to the Polish Merchant Navy in 1947, when it became Dom Marynarza.

On 9 July, the city of Gdynia, the Polish Hotel Holding (PHH), the Industrial Development Agency (ARP), and the Dom Marynarza company signed a letter of intent to begin investment cooperation aimed at restoring the building. The document sets out plans for comprehensive business, legal, and financial analyses to determine the strategy for renovation works.

Gdynia’s deputy mayor Tomasz Augustyniak described the building as “a witness to the birth of modern Gdynia and proof of its maritime identity,” adding that it had “served sailors and their families for decades.” PHH president Rafał Szmytke announced that the revitalised building will become a modern hotel serving the needs of business and tourism, while retaining its function.

The revitalisation project comes as Gdynia’s authorities also hope to have the city’s modernist city centre added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026, to mark the centenary of its founding. Gdynia’s architecture, built within a single generation in a coherent yet varied modernist style, attracts visitors from across Poland, including Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, and Cieszyn, many of whom join guided architectural walks through the city.