The history of Gdynia can be divided into several important and distinctive stages. The first stage, which lasted many centuries, at least since the first information about the hamlet, dated the middle of the 13th century, was the period when Gdynia was a small village on the seashore, and since the beginning of the 20th century - serving in the summer season as a holiday destination.
The key stage in the history of Gdynia began after World War I, when Poland regained its independence and when the decision was made to build a seaport next to the village of Gdynia, a port which was to become a window on the world of the reborn state. The beginning of the construction of the port resulted in the creation of a city with a unique modernist centre, which became a candidate property for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The next important stage began with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and the German invasion of Poland. At that time, the development of the city was halted, particularly the development of the modernist centre.
The Germans occupied the entire city, displacing its inhabitants and using the modern buildings of the modernist city centre to place their own people. In 1945, after the end of World War II, the former inhabitants returned to Gdynia and new ones arrived, who found employment mainly in the maritime industry. The Polish authorities organised the reconstruction and activation of the port infrastructure destroyed by the Germans.
Local renovations were carried out on the premises of the modernist centre which had not been destroyed, enabling further use of residential and public buildings. In the following years after the war, especially in the 1960s, the construction of other plots in its area was also commenced, where the owners had not managed to build houses before the outbreak of World War II.
In general, the pre-war urban planning was continued. This way, the construction of the modernist city centre, started in the 1920s, was practically completed. In the early 1990s, there were political changes in Poland, and also in Gdynia, which initiated the democratic legal and social order functioning until this day.
As a result of the administrative reform introduced in 1999, Gdynia became a municipality, and at the same time a city with poviat rights. In terms of important events related to the protection of monuments, it is worth mentioning the inclusion of the city centre of Gdynia in the register of monuments in 2007, the sector coinciding with the area of the candidate property on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Following that year, local spatial development and comprehensive renovation plans were prepared, resulting in the President's designation of Gdynia as a Historical Monument in 2015.
In 2019, the Early Modernist City Centre of Gdynia was inscribed on the UNESCO Tentative List and in 2024, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, it became the only Polish representative applying for the inclusion on the UNESCO List which contains only 17 entries from Poland.
the first written source mentions Gdynia, using the name of the settlement 'Gdinam'
the village is settled on the Chełmno Law by Piotr of Rusocin (Różęcin)
the village is donated to the Carthusian Monastery (currently in Kartuzy)
the region of Pomerania, including Gdynia, is occupied by Prussia as part of the partition of Poland
Gdynia is inhabited by 71 people
railway line next to the village of Gdynia launches, with a station located between Chylonia and Cisowa villages (currently the districts of Gdynia)
postal agency in the village of Gdynia launches, in the school building in Wiejska Street (currently: Starowiejska Street)
new passenger railway stop 'Gdynia' is finished, in the area of the current Gdynia Główna railway station (on the opposite side of the tracks)
the company "Ostseebad-Genossenschaft Gdingen" (Gdynia Baltic Bathing Society) starts, a swimming pool opens, and a Resort House is built by the shore, near the end of the current Kościuszki Square
the population of Gdynia is 1229 people
new road connecting the railway station with the Spa House is built, the road gets the name Kuracyjna Street (currently it runs along 10 Lutego Street and Kościuszki Square). Kuracyjna Street runs in a straight line (unlike the previously used winding main street – Wiejska, currently: Starowiejska Street), is initially sandy and planted with trees
first summer houses with rooms to rent, along Kuracyjna Street, are built, several of which have survived to this day – houses in 10 Lutego Street: Jan Radtke's House, No. 6 (Villa Lucia), No. 9, and No. 18 (Villa Luiza)
Society for the Beautification of Gdynia is established by the commune authorities and a development plan is prepared by H. Thieme (the plan is known only from descriptions and has never been found). The implementation of the plan is hindered by World War I
Poland regains independence after World War I
the Treaty of Versailles, the borders of Poland are established, with a short stretch of the coast
symbolic act of Poland's marriage to the sea in Puck and Gdynia, as part of the takeover of Pomerania by the Polish Army
Polish coast is inspected by the engineer Tadeusz Wenda and a bay near the village of Gdynia is marked as the most convenient place for the construction of the port; the construction of the port is approved
the first blueprint of the port in Gdynia, developed by the engineer Tadeusz Wenda
the Sejm of the Republic of Poland passes the Act on the construction of the port of Gdynia
Temporary War Port and Fishermen’s Shelter is opened
first foreign ship "Kentucky" under the French flag arrives in Gdynia
Gdynia is granted the city rights by the Council of Ministers
Warsaw architect Adam Kuncewicz develops the spatial development plan of the city
first Polish regular passenger line across the Atlantic launches, sailing from Gdynia to New York
new railway line for transporting coal opens, connecting Silesia with Gdynia
according to statistical data printed in "Kurier Bałtycki" ("Baltic Courier"), in Gdynia there are already 576 streets and squares with names
the population of Gdynia is already 122,000 people
World War II and fighting in the vicinity of Gdynia starts; the occupation of the city by German troops begins
liberation of Gdynia from German occupation
the population of Gdynia exceeds 250,000 people
new building of the City Museum of Gdynia opens – one of the first museums designed and built from scratch in the post-war Poland
urban layout of the centre of Gdynia is entered into the Pomeranian Voivodeship register of monuments
Gdynia City Centre is recognised as Historic Monument by the President of the Republic of Poland
Gdynia becomes an official member of DOCOMOMO International
Polish authorities submit Early Modernist City Centre of Gdynia – an example of a created coherent community – to be inscribed on the UNESCO Tentative List