The Story of a City Built from Scratch

Gdynia: How modernist architecture saved a city in World War II

Looking up at an intricately designed ceiling, where windows and curved planes guide light and emphasize the geometry that define Gdynia’s modernist architecture. (Photo R. Gasparini Jr.)

One of the youngest cities in Europe is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. A city planned to be unique, where buildings were designed to impress and architecture became part of its personality, and ultimately helped the city survive destruction. If you have never heard of Gdynia, you are missing the chance to discover the remarkable story of one of the earliest modernist cities in the world. Now is the moment to meet it.

The Context

On the Baltic coast of Poland stands a city unlike most others in Europe. Gdynia belongs to a small and exclusive group of cities that share a rare characteristic: it was planned from scratch.

This alone makes a difference. Planning offers a chance to think ahead, to anticipate growth, movement, and connections before problems appear. Most cities develop organically from small settlements, expanding gradually as populations grow. Neighborhoods emerge as needed, often without a long-term vision.

The result is familiar: poor connections between districts, overloaded streets, inefficient circulation, and infrastructure that struggles to adapt. A single street may gradually attract more shops and services, drawing increasing numbers…