Gdynia, city, seaport, and naval base in northern Poland, in Gdansk Province. The city is situated on the Gulf of Gdansk (formerly Danzig, an inlet of the Baltic Sea), near the city of Gdansk. Following World War I (1914-1918), most of the shipping of Poland passed through Gdansk (then Danzig), a free city under the protection of the League of Nations. In 1924, to reduce its dependence on German-dominated Danzig, Poland began construction of a new Polish port at Gdynia, at the time a fishing village with a population of about 1500. By 1934 Gdynia had become one of the most important ports in eastern Europe, with harbor facilities capable of handling the largest oceangoing vessels. Shortly after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Gdynia, then with a population of about 120,000, was occupied by the Germans and renamed Gotenhafen. It remained under German control until March 1945, when the Germans were overcome by Soviet and Polish forces. Population (1997 estimate) 251,600.
