largest port city, and the spa town of Sopot. Together this part of the region forms a tricity metropolitan called Trojmiasto, which is home to over one million Polish residents. Gdynia itself with it's vibrant and growing population of 255,000 residents, makes up about one quarter of the whole tricity population.
Gdynia is a relatively new city by Polish standards, earning it's official city rights on February 10, 1926. Prior to that date, and the Polish government's 1920 decision to build a major seaport in the area, Gdynia was a very small fishing village comprised of people with a mostly Kashubian ethnic background. Despite the city's fairy modern birth, it's been mentioned in written history as far back as 1209, when it was formerly known by the name of Oxhoft, which is just a small district of the actual city today called Oksywie. Historians state that this old village of Oxhoft would later become home to one of the first Christian churches in this area of the Baltic coast.
As a large coastal city, naturally Gdynia is a popular tourist destination, offering it's visitors a wide range of sites and activities to enjoy. Gdynia's beautiful beaches and coastline are particularly welcoming during the warmer months, when you can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, sailing, windsurfing, and numerous other forms of outdoor recreation. The city also hosts two anchored museum ships, the first being the Dar Pomorza which is a large historic frigate, and the other being the ORP Blyskawica navy destroyer. Both ships offer a unique glimpse into the country's naval history. Hotels, restaurants, pubs, and cafes are also dotted all across the city in abundance, with new ones opening up every year. In Gdynia access to seafood has created a unique overlap on traditional Polish cuisine, and can offer any visitors an unique and wonderful culinary experience.
Second only to Gdansk in shipping volume, Gdynia plays a vital role in the import and export of goods to and from Poland. In 2007 alone, over 17 million tons of cargo passed through Gdynia's port, which included over 600,000 individual shipping containers, and 375,000 passengers. Each year these numbers continue to set new records, as Poland's recent accession into the European Union has widened it's import and export access to additional markets around the continent. Poland's largest shipyard built in 1922, named Stocznia Gdynia, is also located within the city, it was here in 1970 that it's workers rose up against the Polish Communist Party, influencing the future formation of the Solidarity Movement a decade later.
The city of Gdynia is located in Poland's Pomeranian Voivodeship, and is the second largest port city in the entire country. Gdynia's coastline faces Gdansk Bay, which is an important industrial shipping hub in the southern Baltic Sea. Located in the most eastern part of Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a continuous urban area connected with the city of Gdansk, which is Poland's
tricity area named Trojmiasto, is the area shared between the cities of Gdynia, Gdansk, and Sopot. Trojmiasto has a high number of universities and other institutions of higher learning, making the work force in the area highly modern and economically efficient. Per household income levels are also slightly higher here as compared to most other parts of Poland.
Throughout the years, the Gdynia city government has done a wonderful job of partnering Gdynia with other cities around the globe that share common similarities. Gdynia has a long list of official partner cities, such as Seattle, Kaliningrad, Kristiansand, Aalborg, Brooklyn, Haikou, and others. These partnerships have encouraged and fostered much growth within the city, both culturally and economically speaking. If you are a resident of Gdynia, or any of it's partner cities, there are numerous government sponsored programs setup with the purpose of fostering further ties between the cities. These programs include business personnel and student exchanges, as well as cross community art sponsorships. Some of these cross city programs have helped usher in the arrival of German and French grocery store chains, American banks, Norwegian gas stations, and many other foreign firms currently developing the area. Gdynia continues to exhibit activities within it's boundaries that highlight it's vibrant and growing economy.
If you would like more information on particular investment opportunities currently available within the city of Gdynia, please visit the official government city portal. The government website has a large assortment of information that further discusses investment in Gdynia, it also contains a large list of current projects already being pursued within the city. If you contact them directly, their staff members can help direct you to the proper city department in charge of investment relations. They may also be able to assist you in finding out what types of permits are required for both domestic and foreign business endeavors. In addition to Polish and English, Gdynia's government website is also available in other numerous languages, such as German, Swedish, Danish, French, and Russian. If you have a more general non specific question regarding investment in Gdynia, you may direct it to us, and we will do our best to assist you, or we may be able to provide you with contact information of individuals that can.
