The contractor of the expansion and adaptation of the Marine Station and the Transit Warehouse for the needs of the Emigration Museum in Gdynia has been selected. MARBUD from Gdynia has been awarded the contract, and the construction site was officially handed over to the company on May 7th at 12 o’clock. The scope of the public contract, worth 23 717 099,455 PLN (gross), covers renovation, conservation and adaptation works, which will prepare the building to serve as a modern and multifunctional institution. During the summer of 2014 the historic building of the Marine Station in Gdynia will regain its original shape, and Gdynia’s waterfront – the icon of modernist architecture.
The industrial environment of the port of Gdynia – the point of contact between land and sea – will witness the creation of the only place in the country where the history of emigration will be told at its source. Under the symbolic address of Polska 1 street in Gdynia, where thousands of Poles set off on the journeys of their lifetime, the Emigration Museum in Gdynia will inaugurate its activities at the turn of year 2015. The institution will take charge of over 6 000 square meters (2 500 m² of the Marine Station, and 3 600 m² of the Transit Warehouse which almost entirely will be turned into exposition area) and dedicate it to exhibition, as well as cultural, popularizing and scientific activities.
The renovation works will start in the Marine Station in May and they are expected to end in June 2014. Works concerning the realization and assembly of the permanent exhibition will start at the same time. The road to the Museum has been under renovation since January and it will be marked with artistic signs. All the investment works are conducted according to the guidelines set forth by the conservator of historic monuments, as well as according to the architectural documentation prepared by ae fusion studio sp. from Cracow. The City of Gdynia is the investor. The overall cost of the Emigration Museum project amounts to 49.3 million PLN, of which 23.8 million is covered from the resources of the EU initiative JESSICA. The planned urban investments will bring a new face of the cultural map of Tricity.
“The Emigration Museum in Gdynia shall become a multifunctional cultural institution – it will be an active hub of culture, science and entertainment” says Karolina Grabowicz-Matyjas, Director of the institution. “The Marine Station will feature a cinema, space for theater and concert spectacles, and a coffee shop with a view to the sea and ships almost at one’s fingertips. We intend to take up the subject of emigration with creativity and courage, also beyond expositions – with help of workshops, film screenings, concerts, urban games, performances or theater plays, we will initiate new phenomena in culture, and we will offer unique cultural activities locally and nationwide. We wish to propagate “Polishness” through activities aimed at a wide audience, show people our pride of the accomplishments of Poles beyond the borders of our country. We want to talk about our identity, about who we are regardless of the fact where we live. The institution, located in postindustrial, portside environment, presents us with a real chance to create a place, that goes beyond the limitations of a traditional museum.
We encourage you to get acquainted with a visualization of the future look of the Emigration Museum in Gdynia and the preliminary concept of its permanent exposition.
Detailed information about the tender can be found at Gdynia City BIP page.
