National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, 09.07.2025 – 01.03.2026
What did an afternoon spent in Gdynia by sailors from the other side of the world taste like? What emotions accompanied the meetings on and off the warships? Which navy flags were most often seen in the Port of Gdynia, both in the interwar and post-war years? The exhibition “Sailor’s Five O’Clock. Sailors from foreign flag warships and their travels around Poland” is an unusual opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of intercultural encounters, diplomacy, as well as ordinary human curiosity. The exhibition is a joint venture between the Naval Museum in Gdynia and the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk.
Foreign warships in the Port of Gdynia, crowds of enthusiasts visiting their decks and sailors in unusual uniforms are as characteristic elements of the contemporary Tricity as the shipyard cranes or the piers protruding into the sea. Exploring the temporary exhibition opened in the main building of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, you can learn that the history of the visits of these special guests began almost exactly 100 years ago and developed over the following decades. It is a photographic journey from the 1920s to 1989, a camera – captured wander through customs connected with the naval ceremonies, carefully planned and executed programmes of visits, but also less formal meetings, sightseeing and attractions in the foreign sailors’ leisure time.
The photographs presented at the exhibition are not only an intriguing documentation of the foreign warships crews’ visits to Gdynia and other Polish cities, but also visually attractive photojournalistic material. Showing a variety of scenes, from official events and ceremonies to casual strolls through the streets of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, they are a unique record of moments that were not always predicted by protocol, but which found their way straight into the lenses of the cameras. It is also the story of how the sea brought nations together – both in the interwar period and after 1945, when international relations took on a new dimension. The exhibition reveals the Navy’s role as a tool of diplomacy, while also providing an insight into the lesser-known aspects of the visits – the mutual fascination with local and foreign culture, the curiosity of everyday life and spontaneous moments.
The photographs presented at the exhibition come from the collections of the Naval Museum in Gdynia, the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, the National Digital Archives, and the State Archives in Gdańsk/Gdynia Branch.
| National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk
Idea, conceptual framework, script: dr Jan Tymiński Content supervision: dr Marcin Westphal Exhibition design: Barbara Wojczuk-Krystek, Hanna Borkowska Visual identification: Barbara Wojczuk-Krystek Exhibition coordination: Hanna Borkowska, Bartłomiej Garba Chronicle animation: Patryk Herdzik Korekta tekstów: Anna Ciemińska Proofreading: Anna Ciemińska Technical implementation: Patryk Herdzik, Marek Jaroszewski, Jan Kosior, Wiesław Sowiński, Arkadiusz Szklar, Janusz Węglicki, Maciej Zimakowski Cooperation: Piotr Dziewanowski, Monika Golenko, Łukasz Grygiel, Beata Jakimowicz, Marek Jankowski, Sylwia Paszko, Irena Rodzik, Brygida Sonnack, Natalia Tomasik, Andrzej Truszkowski |
Naval Museum in Gdynia
Photographic research: Jacek Waryszak, Adam Jarski Content supervision: Oskar Myszor, dr Marcin Kłodziński Cooperation: Wirginia Węglińska, Monika Mucha |
English translation: Magdalena Łutek, Hanna Borkowska
Print production: Digital Design, MAT 95
Media patronage: Radio Gdańsk S.A., Trojmiasto.pl
