Gdynia

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GDYNIA

Province: Pomorze
County: Free urban district

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

In 1927, a year after receiving city its rights, a competition for the best project of the coat of arms for Gdynia was announced. There were lots of projects but none of them fulfilled the requirements of the competition. Thus a new contest was announced.

The winning arms showed two white Roman eagles, placed vertically one above the other against the red background. The top eagle was wearing a crown, both of them were holding shields with the image of anchors against horizontal sea waves. All this was placed between two general silver wavy lines.Later these very complicated arms were simplified. First the silver wavy lines and anchors were deleted and the red background was changed into a blue one. The Roman eagles were changed into Polish ones. There was also a new element added which was two ribbons and a shield with the motto "Mare nostrum-Vita nostra" between the ribbons.

Further modifications brought the change of eagles into fish which served to suggest that Gdynia was becoming the biggest fishing harbour at the Baltic Sea. Before this arms were officially approved the World War II had broken out. 13 years had already passed and Gdynia did not manage to establish its coat of arms.

German occupation brought great changes to the city. First of all the name of the city was changed into "Gotenhafen" and new arms were designed for the city. These arms showed a Viking longboat with shields on its sides. On each shield a swastika was shown. The ship was white and the background was blue.

After the war the procedure to obtain new arms started again. The next competition for the best coat of arms was announced on 22.06.1946. The winning proposal showed a simple white Slavonic sword symbolising fights in protection of the Polish Sea. The red background suggests revolutionary traditions of the working class building Gdynia from 1920. The yellow fish symbolise the sea and the original fishing village of Gdynia.