From Research to UNESCO: Gdańsk Tech Honours Contributors to Gdynia’s World Heritage Success
Gdańsk Tech has honoured three individuals whose decades of work contributed to the inscription of Gdynia’s Modernist City Centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The medals were presented on 6 November during a conference dedicated to the university’s role in researching and preserving Gdynia’s architectural heritage.
Gdańsk Tech has honoured three individuals whose decades of work contributed to the inscription of Gdynia’s Modernist City Centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The medals were presented on 6 November during a conference dedicated to the university’s role in researching and preserving Gdynia’s architectural heritage.
Gdynia’s Modernist City Centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2026. Researchers from the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk Tech played an important role in preparing the nomination dossier, drawing on decades of research into the city’s architectural and urban history.
A Success Built on Years of Collaboration
Aleksandra Kosiorek, Mayor of Gdynia, attended the conference and emphasised that the UNESCO inscription was the result of the efforts of many people, not only from the Tri-City area but also from other parts of Poland and abroad. She also highlighted the importance of discussing the city’s architectural heritage from an academic perspective.
“I am very pleased that today we can approach this inscription and Gdynia’s modernist heritage from an academic perspective. Since receiving this prestigious recognition, we have mainly discussed it in terms of promotion, tourism and encouraging residents and visitors to explore our modernist architecture,” said Aleksandra Kosiorek, thanking the university authorities for organising the conference.
Professor Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk Tech, highlighted the importance of research and its impact on the region and local communities.
“The role of a university is not simply to shine on its own, but to use its knowledge for the benefit of the local community. I am proud that our researchers contributed to such an important achievement as the inscription of Gdynia’s Modernist City Centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This success is the result of the efforts of many people, and I sincerely congratulate everyone involved,” said Professor Krzysztof Wilde.
The Rector also expressed the university’s willingness to continue cooperating with Gdynia and supporting initiatives benefiting the city and its residents.
Medals for Contributions to Gdańsk Tech
One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of medals to three individuals whose research and commitment played a significant role in securing Gdynia’s UNESCO World Heritage status.
Professor Maria Jolanta Sołtysik received the Gold Medal for Contributions to Gdańsk University of Technology. An architect and architectural historian, she has spent more than three decades researching Gdynia’s modernist architecture. Her academic achievements, including the 1993 monograph Gdynia – miasto dwudziestolecia międzywojennego. Urbanistyka i architektura (Gdynia: A City of the Interwar Period. Urban Planning and Architecture), provided an important foundation for efforts to preserve the city’s architectural heritage.
Professor Robert Hirsch, an architect and heritage conservation specialist at the Faculty of Architecture, was awarded the Medal for Contributions to Gdańsk University of Technology. For more than two decades, he has conducted research into Gdynia’s architecture and urban development, as well as the conservation of its modernist heritage.
The same distinction was presented to Dr Marek Stępa, an architect formerly associated with the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk Tech and a former Deputy Mayor of Gdynia. Over the years, he has been actively involved in protecting the city’s historic centre and preparing its UNESCO nomination dossier.
All three were among the principal authors of the nomination documentation submitted to UNESCO in 2023.
From Academic Research to International Recognition
During the conference, Professor Maria Jolanta Sołtysik presented the history of research into Gdynia’s modernist architecture and its importance for preserving the city’s architectural heritage. Key milestones included the addition of Gdynia’s historic city centre to the Polish register of monuments in 2007 and its designation as a Monument of History in 2015.
Work on the UNESCO nomination began in 2019. The nomination dossier was submitted in 2023, followed by three supplementary studies in subsequent years. In July 2026, Gdynia’s Modernist City Centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The conference also addressed Poland’s experience in protecting World Heritage sites, cooperation between researchers and local government, and the implications of UNESCO recognition for Gdynia. Speakers included Professor Jacek Purchla and Professor Edward Denison from The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.
The conference was organised by the Rector of Gdańsk Tech and Professor Jakub Szczepański, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture. The event also featured a presentation of Modernism in Europe, Modernism in Gdynia, a journal jointly published by the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk Tech and the City of Gdynia.
