Trawlers, container ships, bulk carriers, multi-purpose vessels – these are just some of the more than a dozen ship models in 1:100 and 1:200 scale that can be seen at the temporary exhibition at the Fisheries Museum in Hel. ‘From Gdynia to the corners of the world. The Gdynia Shipyard and its ships’ is the second edition of the exhibition with the same title, presented two years ago on the ship-museum “Sołdek” in Gdańsk. The exhibition in Hel presents both the objects known from the first edition and premiere, previously unshown models from the Gdynia Shipyard’s collection.
These exhibits are detailed, scaled-down copies of actual vessels built at Gdynia Shipyard S.A. from the 1960s to 2002. The precision of workmanship and attention to detail are characteristic features of models made at the now-defunct modelling workshop of the Gdynia Shipyard. Built as offer representations for potential shipowners, today they constitute a unique record and knowledge base on the history of the Polish shipbuilding industry in the second half of the 20th century.
In addition to ship models, the exhibition also offers an insight into the history of the shipyard. – The Gdynia Shipyard is considered to be the oldest Polish shipbuilding facility. – says Jakub Adamczak, curator of the exhibition – The company, established in 1922 in the vicinity of the harbour, initially provided technical support for ships arriving in Gdynia and repaired fishing boats. Despite the various difficulties which the shipyard faced in the course of its development, by the outbreak of the World War II it could already boast of building the first major vessels from scratch: the ‘Samarytanka’ sanitary motorboat, the ‘HEL 111’ fishing boat and the ‘Jaskółka’- type minesweeper ORP Mewa. – adds the curator. In the decades that followed, the company continued to grow, building larger and more modern commercial vessels. Their tonnage and innovative solutions attracted buyers from among French, Norwegian, Swedish, Liberian, Greek, Brazilian and American shipowners, which was unique in the political and economic reality of the 1970s. The Gdynia Shipyard came to an end in 2009 when the company, deprived of state support, went into liquidation.
The collection, comprising a total of 36 ship models, was purchased by the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk in 2021. The collection includes practically all the major types of vessels that were produced in Gdynia between 1963 and 2002: tankers adapted for the transport of, for example, crude oil or chemicals, general cargo carriers, bulk carriers, factory- and freezer trawlers, ro-ro car carriers, container ships, or multi-purpose transport vessels built at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The collection is successively undergoing restoration work, and following editions of the exhibition enable an increasingly diverse range of models to be presented to the public.
Curatorial team: dr Jan Tymiński, Jakub Adamczak, Aleksandra Kucharska
Preparation of models for exhibition: Modeling Workshop of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk – Marek Parczyński, Mirosław Taratuta, Tomasz Poręba, Ala Ostra
Graphic design: Paweł Makowski
From Gdynia to the corners of the world. The Gdynia Shipyard and its ships. 2nd edition of the exhibition
08.10.2024 – 06.04.2025
Fisheries Museum in Hel
The task: ‘Purchase of museum objects: 36 ship models’ was financed by a special purpose grant for investment expenditure from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the state budget. Subsidy: 120 000 PLN.
