Emigration Museum in Gdynia

The Emigration Museum in Gdynia occupies the Maritime Station at ul. Polska 1, in the Pomeranian region of Poland, a modernist port building from 1933 to 1934 that was a departure point for the transatlantic liners to New York and South America. Gdynia, built as Poland's new seaport after 1920, was where many Poles left for new lives, and the station was designed by Roman Piotrowicz and Bohdan Pniewski in the interwar functionalist style. The museum opened in 2015 and presents the story of Polish emigration from the 18th century to the present. Its permanent exhibition follows migrants from the decision to leave through the journey and arrival to the life of emigrant communities. The display is immersive and thematic: visitors receive a symbolic passport or ticket and walk through reconstructions of a ship's cabin, a customs office and an emigrant tenement in the United States. Multimedia stations and personal accounts, letters and objects tell the stories of people who left for economic, political or personal reasons, including after the Second World War and during the Solidarity years. Objects include trunks, travel documents, photographs and everyday items lent by families. The museum is housed in the preserved station, whose restored interiors, including the waiting hall and the quay-side terraces, form part of the experience. The building was restored for the museum project, keeping its original terrazzo, steel windows and details. Alongside the permanent display there are temporary exhibitions, a media library and educational programmes. Visitors generally spend about 90 minutes to two hours, and the quay offers views of the harbour and the sailing ship Dar Pomorza.