Constitution Square in Gdynia. History, Spatial Layout and Architecture

Abstrakt

Constitution Square is one of the most important elements of the City Centre of Gdynia. Both in the pre–War and the post–War times they built there some major buildings of public and social use, which today create a precious heritage of the Gdynia’s architecture. The origins of the square was connected mainly with the construction of the railway station and its layout was defined mainly in the interwar period, but after 1945 it underwent some major changes. Geometry of the square was shaped in few phases, following on the one hand the demands of the urban plans and on the other the layout of the buildings constructed in this place. The first phase comprises the years 1926– 1928 in which the first town–dedicated railway station was built – yet before the first urban plans for Gdynia were prepared. The second phase comprised the years 1928–1930, when the urban planners designed the spatial shape of the square as an important component of the Gdynia’s City Centre. The subsequent phases were marked by the dates of construction of the main buildings situated here: the State Agricultural Bank (1931), the Municipal and County Court (1936), the postwar railway station (1950) and the post–War postal complex (1965). All the objects built here constitute the distinguish architectural creations, and the distinguish realisation of public and social use. Unfortunately, the postal complex created in the 60. was situated outsides the historical building lines, which has a bad influence on the spatial consistency and cohesion to the whole square. Its harmonious, axial and symmetric composition was lost and consequently the square became only the burdensome communication node without any spatial and aesthetic values. The aim of this article was presenting the development of the Constitution Square in Gdynia and its architecture in the particular phases of development, as well as the composition rules which governed it. The research was meant to became a scientific basis to restore the historical and aesthetic values to the contemporary layout of the square. In conclusion of the article the author presented the conservatory recommendations and the conservation project of revalorisation the Constitution Square in Gdynia.