Key trends of the labour market 2026 presented for the first time at the Olivia Centre

The labor market has changed and we already have a new reality in place? Nothing could be further from the truth. The changes that are yet to come are as significant as those that have appeared as a result of the pandemic. At the Olivia Centre in Gdańsk, Manpower Polska presented its latest report on the labour market, which shows that in the coming years, the key to success will be fast learning and flexible adaptation to change. The year 2026 will bring high expectations of employees, greater selectivity on the part of employers and the growing importance of qualifications.

 

At O4 Coworking (Olivia Centre), Manpower Polska presented the premiere conclusions from the “Trends and Remuneration Report 2026” and discussed 16 key trends shaping the labour market. The culmination of the meeting was a panel of experts with the participation of Labour Market Experts, which turned into a real discussion – with polemics and references to the report.

 

Among the 16 key work trends listed in the report were: redefinition of the roles of leaders and employees, as well as work itself, the increase in the importance of AI-assisted work and the use of automation. In the new model of work, there will be an increase in the importance of project work and a demand for employees who are quickly learning new skills. Among the key competencies will be readiness for quick training, the ability to use artificial intelligence and the possession of pre-industrial skills (problem-solving skills, cognitive flexibility, creativity, empathy, self-reflection and a high level of use of interpersonal communication tools).

 

These trends will be implemented in an environment of changing social norms. The coming years will bring a return to office work, but only until the generation currently accustomed to hybrid work begins to perform high management positions. A decline in confidence related to the decline in the prestige of leaders, geopolitical instability and the unpredictability of climate change will also be of great importance for the labour market, which will translate into job insecurity, increased unrest and political polarisation. The use of automation and artificial intelligence will result in pressure on energy demand, and this will increase the importance of personnel specializing in green energy sources and scaling systems that allow it to be developed.

 

The authors of the report also point to significant challenges related to changes in business models: the maturity of enterprises will increase the pressure on succession processes in companies. This will be done with the awareness of the talent shortage, demographic decline, decline in professional activity and, as a result, economic uncertainty. Changes in the labour market will also be influenced by the decline in the role of higher education and the lack of ambition and motivation to act as leaders. These factors will result in a decrease in the number of personnel aspiring to take up managerial positions and perform leadership roles, and will affect the possibility of intergenerational transfer of knowledge and skills.

 

The presentation of the report was summarized in a debate of labour market experts. As he points out, Magdalena Białek, Strategic Account Leader at Manpower the key factors that the HR environment in Poland currently lives by were at the center of the conversations: The participants of the debate devoted a lot of space to the role of IT juniors, the shortage of experienced specialists and the impact of labour market regulations, including internships and forms of employment, on the availability of talent. Attention was drawn to a paradox: with rare participation in formal training, Poles learn intensively on its own, which supports economic growth. Experts also emphasized that in the age of artificial intelligence, HR with the ability to verify competencies is more important than ever. The participants unanimously assessed the meeting as substantive and inspiring, and the number of references to “AI” symbolically showed the scale of technological transformation.

 

As Maciej Kotarski, director of Olivia Centre, and one of the participants in the debate, emphasizes, one of the most noticeable trends in office work is currently the growing pressure to implement artificial intelligence solutions: These processes move from the experimentation phase to become part of business operations. There are growing expectations that AI-based solutions will become a source of key competitive advantages. Software companies report that their customers have high expectations for AI implementations even when there is no real need for it in a given company. Investments in people with skills to build and operate artificial intelligence are increasing, although the accuracy of many of the models currently available is low for the time being, and the number of errors requires constant human control. At the same time, exchanges are handsomely rewarding companies that are able to effectively and visibly implement AI, e.g. by reducing teams and cutting costs. This is even hitting tech companies and the software services sector, where new tools are making work redundant that recently required months of work by entire teams. Where the reductions are not spectacular, the number of job offers for juniors is decreasing. This process is increasingly reminiscent of technological revolutions, driving huge capital expenditures on infrastructure, data centers, and computing power – emphasizes Maciej Kotarski.

 

The Trends and Remuneration Report 2026 is available for download on the Manpower Polska website

SGH Open Day, Thinking Zone, Thinking InBusiness. Models. Decisions. The future

We invite you to a unique event! There are moments when education ceases to be just a transfer of knowledge. It becomes a conversation about the world – about how we understand the economy, how we make decisions and what happens when reality begins to overtake the models that were supposed to describe it. The SGH Open Day × Thinking Zone × Thinking InBusiness is just such a space. It is a meeting for young people facing the choice of further educational path, as well as for parents and teachers who want to better understand the changing world of economics, technology and competences of the future. Participants of the event will take part in lectures, talks and a discussion panel led by academic lecturers, researchers and business practitioners. It will be an opportunity to look at the modern economy from different perspectives; from the financial system and business models to the social consequences of technology development.

 

When and where do we see each other?

 

  • See you on April 1, at 9:30 a.m. at Olivia Sky Club | Olivia Tower | 12th floor | Olivia Centre
  • The event is free of charge. Registration required!

 

Who is this event for?

 

  • eighth-grade students,
  • high school students,
  • parents and all people interested in modern education,
  • teachers and school principals.

 

Event schedule

 

09:30 – 10:00 | Registration of
participantsWelcome guests and meet in the Olivia Sky Club space.

 

10:00 | Official opening of the event

 

10:00 – 11:30 | Keynote speech: “Money and its forms”
Lecturer: prof. Ph.D. Agnieszka Alińska, Warsaw School of Economics

Introduction to the role of money in the modern economy. Participants will learn about the process of money transformation – from cash to digital solutions – and learn about the importance of the financial system for the functioning of the market, the state and everyday economic decisions.

Form: lecture combined with mini-workshop.

 

11:30 – 11:45 | Break

 

11:45 – 12:30 | Practical application of business
modelsLecturer: Rafał Kołodziej, CEO of Greenhat Innovation, co-founder of FutureS Thinking Group

From economic models to decision models. A meeting dedicated to how companies and institutions are building models to support decision-making in a world of increasing complexity and uncertainty.

 

12:30 – 13:00 | Lunch break

 

13:00 – 13:30 | When models are no longer enough. Competence in the liminal world
Lecturer: Edyta Sadowska, PhD, strategic futurist, researcher and academic lecturer

A conversation about the world of transition – a time when the current framework is no longer enough and the future is not yet in a stable form. What competencies allow you to find yourself in the reality of constant change?

 

13:30 – 14:15 | From the economy of pleasure to the economy of
addictionEconomics like dopamine – how do companies take control of us?
Lecturer: Ada Florentyna Pawlak, PhD, technology anthropologist, lawyer and art historian, academic lecturer (SWPS University, AGH)

A reflection on the new logic of the digital economy, in which relationships, emotions and the ability to build engagement become a space for value creation.

 

14:15 – 14:20 | Short break

 

14:20 – 15:05 | Discussion panel

The main question: Is the bigger challenge of the modern economy the wrong decisions – or the wrong models on which these decisions are based?

 

15:05 – 15:30 | Thinking Zone Tour
Visiting the space of the Thinking Zone High School and the SGH Academic Class.

 

Sign up for the event

 

 

Why is it worth participating?

This event is an invitation to talk about how young people can prepare for a world that is constantly changing. Because the future does not belong to those who know all the answers. He is one of those who can ask the right questions.

 

Contact


hello@thinkingzone.pl+48 780 728 699

 

 

Sign up for the event

 

 

 

Sign up for the event

Here we go! Submit a project, team, or individual for the Olivia Prize 2025 competition!

Olivia Prize is a competition with a proud tradition. For the sixth time, we will recognize companies, teams, and individuals whose inspiring ideas are changing the world – both near and far. It has long been known that Olivia is home to creative people, full of passion, innovative ideas, and big hearts – so essential when it comes to social and charitable initiatives. The Olivia Prize competition was created to appreciate and highlight the outstanding activity of Olivia’s Residents who engage in many different fields, from business and economics, through ecology, to initiatives supporting others.

So now, take a moment to think back to 2025 and remember how much you have accomplished. And of course – submit your projects, your people, and your companies to the competition! The application form is simple.

 

Awards are granted for projects that are or were implemented in 2025. 

 

This year, we will award prizes in three categories:

  • Olivia Impact – this category is dedicated to economic initiatives and/or business projects carried out by a Resident company or entities within its group that contribute most significantly to business growth.
  • Olivia Harmony – this category is for social or environmental initiatives implemented by a Resident company or entities within its group, as well as by its employees or collaborators within the organization
  • Olivia Everyday Hero – this category recognizes individual employees and collaborators (our colleagues) who are socially engaged, carry out charitable projects beyond their professional duties, support the local community, and undertake initiatives deserving special recognition and appreciation, including those in the field of ecology

 

There will also be two special prizes:

  • Olivia Connect – a special award granted to business environment institutions that have a meaningful impact on Olivia’s Residents.
  • Olivia Hero of the Future – a special award granted to young scientists affiliated with a Tri-City university who can demonstrate achievements in R&D or in the commercialization of research results

 

You have until 30 March 2026 to submit your entry. Click and apply for the competition!
The official announcement of the results will take place on 30 March during a ceremonial gala.

 

The award ceremony will be held on 30 March at 5:00 PM on the 34th floor of Olivia Star. Our special guest will be Prof. Paweł Horodecki, an outstanding theoretical physicist and one of the founders of the Gdańsk school of quantum information science. Register for the event

 

Competition form

 

We are starting spring cleaning in Olivia!

Spring is coming, so we are starting a large-scale cleaning in Olivia! In the coming weeks, we will systematically refresh and tidy up common spaces – green areas, patios, garage halls, shower changing rooms and infrastructure around buildings. Winter did not spoil us, so there will be a lot to do:) Check here, because more information about our activities will be presented here.

 

What lies ahead in March?

>

Cleaning up outdoor areas

 

From March 16 , we will start cleaning work on the outdoor area around Olivia’s office buildings. The works will primarily include the removal of road salt residues after the intense winter period and the cleaning of the entrances to the main buildings.

 

Of course, all activities will be carried out during the day, outside the morning and afternoon rush hours, to minimize possible difficulties. Building security will also take care of fencing off the area for the duration of the work, so that you feel comfortable and safe.

 

The estimated time of completion of all works is about two weeks.

 

Repair of the surface of the upper car park B


On Friday, March 20 , we will start repairing the asphalt surface in the upper car park B. The works will last until late in the evening on Saturday, March 21, with the possibility of extending them on Sunday, March 22.


To enable the renovation works to be carried out efficiently, the upper car park B will be closed to users on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m.

 

Please do not park your vehicles in the upper car park B on the indicated dates: from Thursday, March 19 from 7:00 p.m. to Sunday, March 22 at 09:00. Lower car park B remains at your disposal during this time. The entrance to the lower car park B will take place from Marii Janion Street (former Bażyńskiego). On the above dates, the barriers of the lower car park will be raised.

We park only in the lower car park B (green)

 

Entrance from Marii Janion Street, turn into Marii Janion Street from Grunwaldzka Avenue.


>

Cleaning in bicycle changing rooms


The next action will take place on March 26-28 (Thursday-Saturday) – then we will carry out a general cleaning and refreshment of the bicycle changing rooms.

 


We ask that all private belongings, such as shoes or towels, be hidden in your lockers by March 25 (Wednesday) at the latest. Items left outside the lockers will be taken by us and disposed of.

 

During the works, the bicycle changing rooms will be temporarily closed. We ask for your understanding and patience. This is a temporary inconvenience, and the result, we hope, will be dazzling.

 

This is just the beginning of our spring activities. In the coming weeks, we are planning further cleaning and refreshment work in various parts of Olivia. We will keep you informed about the details, and there will be more specific actions, because we want Olivia to look as good as possible with spring.

EXTRAS in the MyOlivia app. Check out what’s new!

Of course, we can do a lot more with the My Olivia app. We won’t go into too much detail here. Przypomnimy dziś o EXtrasach. Warto tu zaglądać, by wiedzieć, z jakich zniżek możemy aktualnie skorzystać.

 

Olivia’s extras in My Olivia

What is it? Special offers, promotions, discounts that can only be used by employees of Olivia companies. To access the Extras, you must have a confirmed Resident Status. Find out how to do it below and keep in mind! We will be developing the Extras option, so it is worth checking here.

We also invite our Service Residents, who have attractive discounts and promotions, to apply to us, we will place them in the application.

 

Resident status step by step

 

  • Download the My Olivia app from the App Store or Google Play.
  • Register in the application using your business address (an address in the domain of a company that is located in Olivia).

 

When registering, use your business address, which is an address in the domain of the company you work for. This is very important, because when you provide your business address during registration, you will be granted the status of Resident automatically as soon as you click on the activation link sent to you to the e-mail address provided during the registration process.

 

 

  • If you do not see the activation email in your inbox, first check your SPAM. It happens that this type of correspondence (registration confirmations, orders, purchases) falls into this folder.
  • Search for the activation email by the sender “My Olivia → app@oliviacentre.com”, and if you still don’t have it, write to us on aplikacja@oliviacentre.com.
  • You can also use the contact form available in the application → the “Contact us” option in your MyOlivia panel.

 

The “Contact us” option in the MyOlivia app

 

Self-activation of Resident status

 

  • Go to the MyOlivia app.
  • Then in your user profile, i.e. click on the human icon (upper right corner of the application).
  • Select “Activate Resident Status” and follow the guidelines.
  • Tick the appropriate box: activate the status when you have an address in the company domain (point 1 in the graphic below) or activate the status when you do not have an address in the company domain or the e-mail address provided during registration is your company address (point 2 in the graphic below).

 


Remark! When applying for the resident status in case 2 (no address in the company domain…), enter the name of the company and the building in which you work/have an office in the “I work in a company…”
window.

 

 

  • Resident status should be activated within 3 working days.
  • Remember to click on the activation link that will come to your e-mail address.
  • If the process of self-activation of the Resident status fails, write to: aplikacja@oliviacentre.com

Self-activation of Resident status

 

MyOlivia app: parking lots and Olivka points
MyOlivia App: discover its features
MyOlivia app: Resident status

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Olivia’s Women’s Day. Creatively, Mindfully, Together

On the occasion of Women’s Day, we invite you, Dear Ladies, to celebrate together. This time in the Olivia Star space. See you on March 5th. As every year, we meet for a while (well, a little longer) to slow down, take a break from everyday duties and have a good time. In addition, you can discover the artist in you!

 

This year, we have prepared three intimate ceramic workshops, during which each of the participants will create their own, unique object; cup or plate. There will be gluing, molding, decorating with spatulas and letters. The result? A personal souvenir that will stay with you for a long time and will remind you of this day.

 

Workshop schedule on March 5

 

Place: 1st floor, Olivia Star

Each session lasts 45 minutes and starts punctually at the appointed time. Please arrive a little earlier.

 

Organizational information

  • The entrance is through the reception of the Olivia Star building.
  • An identity document must be presented at the reception; Please take it with you.

 

We wish you a good time, full of inspiration, conversations and the joy of creating.
See you at the workshops!

“After hours”. The second edition of the artistic year at Olivia Star

Art has been an important element of Olivia Centre’s identity for years. As part of the artistic Olivia project, our common spaces become art galleries. Places where emotions, sensitivity and everyday life meet. After the January-February exhibition “Between the horizon and glass”, which opened the year 2026 in the lobby of Olivia Star, we present another exhibition “After Hours”.

 

This time we invite you to the exhibition “After Hours” prepared by the ArtGranda Association.

 

“After Hours” is a story about creativity born outside the schedule; after work, after duties, in time reserved exclusively for yourself. These are works created out of an inner need, intuitively, without calculation and without pressure. Imperfect, but sincere. Growing out of mindfulness, emotions and personal experience.

 

ArtGranda is a group of friends united by a common passion for art and the need to develop talents and inspire others to consciously contact with creativity. In a world dominated by pace, messages and narratives, artists choose their own path – they create without ideological commentary, painting what is really close to them.

 

In the space of Olivia Star, this exhibition takes on additional meaning. High, glazed interiors, urban rhythm and the daily movement of employees and guests become a natural context for works created in silence, in private time. It is art that does not separate itself from life, it even enters into a dialogue with it.

 

“After hours” is an invitation to stop. To calmly look at the image, at the emotion, at oneself. We believe that art – even the one created after work – can add courage and beauty to everyday life.

 

Free admission

The exhibition can be seen until the end of April 2026

Year of Leadership 2026. Read the GFKM report

In a world of cumulative changes, transformation ceases to be a project. It becomes a competence – organizational and leadership. Get to know the “Year of Leadership 2026” report, prepared by our resident, GFKM (Gdańsk Foundation for Management Education). This is the fifth edition of the survey – previously carried out under the name “Year of the Leader” – which provides an in-depth diagnosis of the condition of leadership in Poland year after year.

 

[DOWNLOAD THE REPORT]

 

A survey based on data, not sentiment

The report is not a soft opinion survey or a set of general reflections. It is a practical tool for assessing the quality of decisions, operational risks and the resilience of an organization in times of contradiction.

 

In this year’s edition:

  • 400 leaders from small and medium-sized companies and large organizations were surveyed,
  • In-depth qualitative interviews with managers were carried out, allowing to capture the context and real decision-making mechanisms.

 

The respondents were asked, among other things, about:

  • effective management in conditions of conflicting expectations,
  • transformations planned for 2026,
  • organizational culture as the foundation for strategy implementation,
  • challenges related to strengthening and motivating teams.

 

This combination of quantitative and qualitative data allows you to look at leadership not only through the prism of declarations, but through real decision-making experience.

 

Diagnosis of 2025 and forecast for 2026

The report shows that 2025 – despite the increase in operating costs – was seen as a time of relative stability. At the same time, leaders point out that the key challenge is no longer individual goals, but the efficiency of the entire organization is becoming one.

 

The conclusions are unambiguous:

  1. Effective change is not just about implementing it, but about involving people in its design,
  2. Organizational culture is becoming a real test of agency – although most leaders declare their support for the strategy, as many as 91% of companies have difficulty translating values into everyday practice,
  3. The year 2026 promises to be a time of accumulation of change, which means that leadership competencies will be defined primarily by the ability to guide people through the transformation process.

 

The report answers key questions:

  • How do leaders sum up 2025 – what was the biggest challenge and what was the disappointment?
  • What are their hopes, fears and priorities for 2026?
  • In which areas of development do they see an advantage in the coming year?
  • What – despite the tensions – fills them with optimism?

 

Eight Pillars of Leadership and Recommendations

The report organizes the conclusions around the eight pillars of leadership that define the effectiveness of transformation and the quality of decisions in organizations in 2026. Each of the pillars has been supplemented with specific implementation recommendations.

 

Importantly, the report contains separate indications for management boards, middle managers and HR departments, taking into account their different perspectives, scope of responsibilities and impact on organizational culture. Thanks to this, the publication is not only a diagnosis, but also a practical map of activities for the entire management structure.

 

[DOWNLOAD THE REPORT]

 

Presentation at the Olivia Centre

The conclusions of the report were presented during the 34. Meetings of the Olivia Centre HR Club, becoming a starting point for discussions about the quality of decisions, organizational culture and the readiness of companies to lead people through change.

 

The meeting showed that there is a growing need in the business environment to talk about leadership understood not as a position, but as the ability to build agency, resilience and effectiveness under pressure.

 

How to build an advantage in times of contradiction? What competencies do leaders need in 2026? You will find the answers in the “Year of Leadership 2026” report.

 

[DOWNLOAD THE REPORT]

 

Olivia Centre welcomes new medical centre

“Harmonia” Mental Health Clinics are a type of facilities of the LUX MED Group developed throughout the country. Patients of all ages will find help in mental health and personal development.

 

The development of the Harmonia clinic network is related to the growing needs, but also to social awareness in the field of mental well-being and care for one’s own well-being and the well-being of loved ones. In the new facility, patients can take advantage of the advice of psychiatrists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, sexologists, psychodieticians and speech therapists. It hosts individual, couples and family consultations, both in the form of stationary visits and in the form of video consultations and telephone consultations. The facility also offers psychological diagnostics, cognitive functioning tests, as well as diagnoses of ADHD, the autism spectrum in both children and adults.

Located on the first floor of Olivia’s newest building, Olivia Prime, the facility is designed to support therapy and improve the well-being of patients and staff: filled with bright colours, wood, plants and comfort-enhancing soft upholstery fabrics for the sofas and armchairs. The architectural office Design Anatomy was responsible for the detailed design of the facility, and the implementation was on the side of Construction Plus.

 

– Renting space in Olivia Centre is another important investment for us. We are all the more pleased to be present in the complex at Grunwaldzka Avenue, as it is the first facility of the LUX MED Group network of Mental Health Clinics “Harmonia” in the Tri-City. We wanted a well-connected location that was easily accessible to patients, while offering a modern, friendly infrastructure. Olivia Prime fully meets these expectations by providing a space designed to support the treatment process – both functionally and aesthetically. We are convinced that the presence of “Harmonia” in Olivia will make a real contribution to improving the availability of professional mental health care and increasing the comfort of patients using the services of our Group – says Robert Kalota, Director of the Investment and Administration Department of the LUX MED Group.

 

– A wide range of medical services and diagnostics broadens our attractiveness not only for employees of companies with their offices in Olivia, but for every resident of the Tri-City – says Bogusław Wieczorek, Olivia’s Board Representative.The “Harmonia” Mental Health Clinic, the leader of private health services in Poland, of the LUX MED Group, is another medical facility in Olivia. Previously, the inhabitants of the Tri-City could use the medical offer of two Medicover facilities, as well as a pharmacy. This is part of our policy of providing not only high-quality space for doing business, but also well-being – this is what the largest botanical garden in Pomerania, Olivia Garden, which offers places for meetings, quiet work and relaxation among majestic greenery, but also a two-storey fitness club, numerous sports clubs, the development of passion and social integration. We also support local initiatives that improve the quality of life in Oliwa, the district of Gdańsk where Olivia is located, so I am pleased to emphasize that we are part of the living social organism of the entire Tri-City.

Fig. Lux Med’s own materials

Gdynia is 100 years old!

On February 10, 2026, exactly 100 years have passed since Gdynia was granted city rights. This is one of the fastest and most symbolic urban development stories in Poland: a small town on the Bay of Gdańsk has become a modern city-port, designed “from scratch” and oriented towards the future.

 

The foundation: the port and the state project of modernity

Gdynia in the Second Republic of Poland became a response to the real need for Polish independent access to the sea. The construction of the temporary port began in the spring of 1921, and the formal beginning of the Port of Gdynia is the Sejm Act of 23 September 1922 – it was the port that initiated the demographic, infrastructural and economic development of the city.

 

It is most often said that Gdynia was “designed” by Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. In fact, he was a strategist and architect of ideas – a man who determined the creation of the city-port, provided political and financial support for the investment, and gave it a symbolic dimension of modern Polish. However, the actual spatial shape of Gdynia was developed by a team of urban planners and architects, primarily:

  • Roman Feliński – chief planner of Gdynia’s development in the 1920s and 1930s; co-creator of a clear layout of streets, relations between the center and the waterfront and the logical division of the city into port, residential and representative functions.
  • Adam Kuncewicz – co-responsible for the concept of spatial development and the connection of the city with the port facilities.

They were the ones who made Gdynia not a chaotic investment entity, but a coherent urban organism, where the port, downtown and residential districts complemented each other.

@jkszphotography | freepik

 

An icon of interwar modernism

The centre of Gdynia is unique on a European scale as a coherent ensemble of modernist interwar architecture. In 2015 the modernist centre of Gdynia was declared a Monument of History; In the official materials of the city, m.in scale of the area (approx. 88 ha) and the number of facilities (approx. 450 buildings) are emphasized.

 

Characteristic features of Gdynia’s modernism are:

  • simple, geometric solids,
  • horizontal window strips (so-called “ship windows”),
  • corners emphasized by semicircular towers,
  • terraces, loggias and glazed staircases,
  • Aesthetics inspired by ship architecture and functionalism.

 

The most important buildings and their creators

  • The Sailor’s House (1937–1938) – designed by Jerzy Müller
    An icon of Gdynia’s modernism over Kościuszko Square; A light, horizontal body with characteristic window strips and a maritime character.
  • Tenement house of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (1936) – design. Zbigniew Kupiec, Stefan Reychman
    The monumental and at the same time elegant façade at 10 Februara Street is an example of institutional modernism of the highest class.
  • Bank Polish (1930–1931) – designed by Wacław Tomaszewski, Jerzy Müller
    A building combining functionalism with representativeness; One of the best composed facilities in the city centre.
  • PLO building (1937–1939) – designed by Zbigniew Kupiec
    A symbol of the maritime character of the city — simple, rhythmic, modern.
  • Tenement house at 26–28 Abrahama Street (1936) – designed by Tadeusz Jędrzejewski
    An exemplary example of a modernist tenement house in Gdynia with a corner accent and a “ship” detail.

 

The entire downtown complex shows that Gdynia was not only a port city, but also a laboratory of modern architecture, where Polish architects tested European ideas of functionalism and modernism.

 

 

A city of culture and major events

Over the decades, Gdynia has built a brand of a city of festivals and ambitious initiatives:

  • Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (FPFF) – the most important celebration of Polish cinema; the festival started in 1974 and was moved to Gdynia in 1987.
  • Open’er Festival – one of the largest music events in the region, organized in Gdynia and the municipality of Kosakowo (Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport); The 2026 edition is announced on the official website of the event.
  • Gdynia Design Days – a festival of design and urban innovation (in recent editions with a program of exhibitions, debates and installations).

 

Marine DNA: symbols and places that “make” Gdynia

The image of the city is also built by institutions and facilities that talk about the sea and mobility:

  • Emigration Museum – opened on 16 May 2015 in the historic Maritime Station; tells about the experience of departures and returns of Poles.
  • ORP “Błyskawica” – since 1976 it has been functioning as a museum ship (within the structures of the Naval Museum).
  • Gdynia Aquarium – has been operating since 1971 and is one of the most recognizable educational attractions of the city.

 

100th anniversary as an excuse to tell the story of the city anew

In the communication about the jubilee, there is a thought that “it began with the sea”, and the celebrations are to last not only one day, but throughout the year – as a joint celebration of residents and guests.

 

Sources:

Gdynia.pl

The history of Gdynia in a nutshell

PortalMorski.pl

History of the construction of the port: Gdynia City Museum; Port Gdynia

Gdynia City of Modernism

Gdynia Aquarium

Histroria.org

Trojmiasto.pl “Gdynia as you don’t know it”

Beautiful modernism: Bankowiec, or a residential complex in Gdynia