Rector Takes Part in 50th Anniversary of Society of Gdynia Enthusiasts
06.05.2026 | 2 min. czytania
HM The Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, attended the 50th anniversary jubilee celebrations of the Society of Gdynia Enthusiasts (Towarzystwo Miłośników Gdyni) on 5 May 2026. The members of the Society, which works to promote and support the city, gathered at the Consulate of Culture in Gdynia.
Also taking part in the event was the long-standing editor of the University’s newsletter, Małgorzata Sokołowska. Representatives of nearly all Gdynia-based enterprises, the Polish Navy and the Police took part in the jubilee celebrations. Also present were Agnieszka Baranowska from the Board of the Regional Local Government Assembly; Mariusz Bzdęga Managing Director for Culture and Resident Activity at the Gdynia City Hall; former Mayor of Gdynia Wojciech Szczurek; and Deputy Mayor Marek Stępa. Visiting from Warsaw, especially for the event, was the granddaughter of Tadeusz Wenda – the designer and chief engineer of the port of Gdynia.
The idea of the creation of a Society which would work for the benefit of the city and its residents came about in 1974 at the initiative of a group of Gdynia community activists. In 1975, a General Assembly was held in the auditorium of the Maritime Higher School (a predecessor of Gdynia Maritime University) during which the Society of Gdynia Enthusiasts was founded. The Society’s statute was confirmed on 16 January 1976 – regarded as the official date of the beginning of its activity.
The main aim of the Society’s work, which began in what is now Gdynia Maritime University’s T. Meissner Auditorium, is to bring the Gdynia community together around efforts to preserve the memory of the city’s history and cultural achievements, promote the maritime economy, and provide educational activities for young people. Historical materials have been published since 1977 in the Rocznik Gdyński yearbook; guests at the event received the newly released 31st issue.
Since 1995, Wojciech Kodłubański has served as President of the Society of Gdynia Enthusiasts. Among other well-known persons, its honorary members include Master Mariners Kazimierz Jurkiewicz and Karol Olgierd Borchardt, as well as Jadwiga Titz-Kosko, an eminent physician and the widow of Master Mariner Stanisław Kosko, the last pre-war director of the State Maritime School.