Rector to Open 6th ‘War and the Sea – from the Middle Ages to Modernity’ Conference
On 22 and 23 August 2024, the 6th edition of the ‘War and the Sea – from the Middle Ages to Modernity’ conference, an event connected with the history of the Polish Navy will be held at the Polish Naval Museum (22/08) and in the Auditorium of GMU's Faculty of Navigation (23/08). The organisers of the conference are Gdynia Maritime University and the Polish Naval Museum in Gdynia.
The event, which will be attended by 26 experts, representatives of the worlds of education and culture from Poland and abroad, will be opened by HM The Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, who will present the first paper.
In connection with the recent 80th anniversary of the event, one of the panels will be dedicated to the allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and will discuss the Polish contribution to the landing in Normandy, focusing on the Polish Merchant Navy.
The event will also include a discussion on earlier periods, including the Middle Ages, in relation to which one of the historians will discuss the plundering expeditions of the Pomeranian Gryfit dynasty. Enthusiasts of modern history will learn about the ethos of 17th century navy commanders. In relation to more recent history, a Ukrainian researcher will give a talk on the Polish river fleet, which was part of the Navy during the interwar period and stationed in Pińsk on the Pino River. For those interested in regional history, there will be a lecture on naval intelligence in occupied Gdynia. The last panel of the conference, which includes a lecture on the legal situation of Polish shipwrecks discussed in the context of war graves, also promises to be interesting.
Entrance to the conference is free of charge.
Patronage is provided by the Military Archive in Gdynia.
Honorary patronage is provided by the Polish Historical Society.
Academic patrons are Gdańsk University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and the Polish Maritime Academy in Gdynia.
Support from the media is provided by TVP Historia, TVP3 Gdańsk, Radio Gdańsk, Polska Zbrojna, Zawsze Pomorze, Dziennik Bałtycki, and trójmiasto.pl
A detailed programme of events can be found here (in Polish):
