Paris talks on the inscription of Gdynia City Centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Paris talks on the inscription of Gdynia City Centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List

22.06.2026

 A bird’s-eye view of “Bankowiec” (photo: Konrad Maćkowiak / archive photo)

Efforts to have Gdynia City Centre inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List are underway. Today, members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, together with the Polish delegation, will discuss Gdynia’s candidacy. This will also be an opportunity to highlight the courage, vision and determination of the people who, a century ago, created a modern city on the Baltic Sea.

Gdynia captivates visitors with its unique location and architecture. The entire area of Gdynia Modernist City Centre covers approximately 88 hectares and comprises nearly 450 buildings, which were constructed almost from scratch in the 1920s and 1930s.

In 2015, the City Centre was designated a historical monument, and today – as Poland’s official candidate – it is seeking to be included on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. Today’s event is being organised in cooperation with the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Poland to UNESCO, at the Polish Embassy in Paris. Our city is represented by Renata Wierzchołowska, Head of the Culture Department at the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; Oktawia Gorzeńska, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia; Dr Joanna Leman, Head of the International Cooperation Department at Gdynia City Hall; and Celina Łozowska, Head of the Office of the Municipal Conservator of Monuments.

Today we are meeting with UNESCO ambassadors from various countries, whom we will be trying to persuade to accept our arguments. These efforts are being led by the Polish government, specifically Mariusz Lewicki, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to UNESCO. Of course, we, as the Gdynia team, are involved in this work. Today, the substantive issues have been finalised, whilst diplomatic matters remain. We are now working not only with ICOMOS experts, but also with representatives of other countries at UNESCO, says Oktawia Gorzeńska, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia.

When will the decision on inscription on the UNESCO list be made?

The decision on inscription will be made during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will take place on 19-29 July in Busan, South Korea. 

The decision will be made at the end of July this year in Busan, South Korea, where the UNESCO Committee will meet. We are hopeful that we will succeed in securing inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in the last few days of July, adds Oktawia Gorzeńska, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia.

Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List is not only a prestigious achievement for Gdynia, but above all a confirmation of its uniqueness on a global scale. Our city would thus join the group of global icons of modernism, such as Tel Aviv and Le Havre.

Photo gallery

In the photo: Mariusz Lewicki, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland; Renata Wierzchołowska, Head of the Culture Department at the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; Oktawia Gorzeńska, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia; Dr Joanna Leman, Head of the International Cooperation Department at Gdynia City Hall; and Celina Łozowska, Head of the Office of the Municipal Conservator of Monuments (photo: press materials)