The President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski recognised the urban layout of the City Centre of Gdynia as Monument of History. In accordance with the law, a special Regulation of the President of the Republic of Poland of 23 February 2015 was issued in this matter.
Monuments of History are the highest national distinction awarded to the most important monuments of Poland, and thus the City Center of Gdynia was included in the elite group of 60 monuments of such status.
The recognition of Gdynia City Centre as a monument of history was preceded by many years of preparations carried out by the City of Gdynia. The first step was to enter the urban layout of the City Centre into the voivodship register of monuments in 2007. In the following years, the area of the historical City Centre was almost entirely covered by the local spatial development plans. In 2012, documentation of the submission of the site for recognition as a monument of history was developed. In May 2014, the National Council for Protection of Monument to the Minister gave a positive opinion on Gdynia's application. The last stage was the official recognition by the President of the Republic of Poland as Monument of History.
The title has, above all, a prestigious meaning, and is something to be proud of. The layout of Gdynia City Centre was already recognised as a monument in 2007, and local spatial development plans are in force in almost all of its area, defining the scope of the conservation protection. From the point of view of the principles and rigors of protection, the establishment of a monument of history does not significantly affect the current conservation and spatial policy.
On 21 April 2015, the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski solemnly presented the text of the regulation to the Mayor of Gdynia Wojciech Szczurek, and then together they unveiled a plaque commemorating the recognition of the Gdynia City Centre as a monument of history.
The plaque was designed and created by a team led by Marek Kaliński and Paweł Kijewski from YouArtMe Sp. z o. o. The dimensions of the plaque are 90 x 90 x 4 cm. The front of the plaque is made of several different materials. The sea area is made of several dozen strips of 10 mm thick glass glued together to give the impression of ripples. The City Centre area considered a Monument of History was made of steel - stainless and polished, and the rest of the area was made of ground sheet. The urban elements of the city, as well as the inscriptions and symbols were made using laser engraving. The boundary of the Monument of History was marked by a gap between the two plates and a backlight.