For years, Gdynia's local government has been taking effective measures to ensure that the historic City Centre of Gdynia complex is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This was discussed, among other things, by participants in the debate ‘Preserving Modernism: The Practice of Utopia', during which the Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Magdalena Gawin declared her support for Gdynia's efforts.
- Gdynia is a flagship example of the heritage of interwar modernist architecture, which deserves to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List - said Magdalena Gawin, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, during the debate. - To date, no object from the post-independence period in Poland has been included on the UNESCO list. Therefore, a well-thought-out strategy is important in the efforts to obtain an entry, which will allow Polish architecture from the 20th century to be appreciated in the world, she added.
Deputy Minister Gawin declared that she would appoint a representative from the National Heritage Institute to prepare an appropriate application in cooperation with the city.
- The Minister's initiative harmonises well with our activities and is a confirmation that our work in the fields of conservation, research, science and popularisation, as well as promotion and tourism brings results - said Marek Stępa, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia for Development.
In order to be on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, applicants must go through a multi-stage and lengthy process. First involving national activities, and only after the necessary stages have been met, applying to be included on the so-called UNESCO Tentative List. Subsequent stages include, among others, document verification, external evaluation of the application, its presentation to the World Heritage Committee and, finally, receiving the inscription.
One of the first actions of the Gdynia local government was to submit an application for the inclusion of Gdynia's city centre in the provincial register of monuments. This happened in 2007 and enabled the city to apply for the status of a Historical Monument of the Republic of Poland. The procedure was successfully completed in 2015, when, by virtue of a decree issued by the President of the Republic of Poland, Gdynia's City Centre became one of the most important monuments in Poland.
The second pillar of the efforts to obtain the entry is promotional activities, popularising Gdynia's modernist architectural heritage in the country and abroad.
Beginning in 2007. Gdynia has been organising international conferences under the motto ‘Modernism in Europe - Modernism in Gdynia’. They are devoted to the presentation of the latest research on modernist architecture and conservation issues related to it. They are attended by the most eminent representatives of the academic community dealing with the history and theory of architecture from most European countries. These conferences are an opportunity to promote the qualities of Gdynia not only among Polish participants, but also among foreign experts, which increases the city's recognition in the international forum.
One of the activities was also Gdynia's accession to the association Docomomo International, an international organisation that supports and popularises activities concerning modernism in architecture. The association provides a unique platform for cooperation for historians, architects, urban planners, conservators, public administration staff, academics and students. It currently has around 3,000 individual and institutional members. In addition, DOCOMOMO International organises an international congress on a biennial basis, allowing for an exchange of views and discussion among the association's members, as well as all those interested in modernist architecture and its preservation. Gdynia has participated twice (2016 and 2018), presenting various aspects of the city's modernist architectural heritage. Gdynia's papers were subsequently published in post-Congress publications, which also significantly contributes to the promotion of the city, especially in expert circles.
Furthermore, in June 2018, Gdynia participated in the founding meeting of the Modern Cities Reporting group dedicated to conservation issues related to the management of modernist building complexes while implementing UNESCO's holistic position on the synergy of conservation activities and the requirements related to contemporary socio-economic development of cities. In addition to Gdynia, cities already on the UNESCO World Heritage List were invited to join: Brasília (Brazil), Asmara (Eritrea), Le Havre (France), Berlin (Germany) and Tel Aviv (Israel). Gdynia has pledged to host the next meeting of the Modern Cities Reporting group in 2019.
There are currently 15 sites on the list in Poland, of which 14 are cultural heritage sites and 1 natural heritage site.
The debates ‘Conserving Modernism: The Practice of Utopia' was held as part of the “Exercises of Modernity” project at the Gdynia City Museum. The event was organised by the Pilecki Institute and Gdynia.
Author: _Jan Ziarnicki (j.ziarnicki@gdynia.pl)
