Gdynia Maritime University GMU

On Sunday 10 December 2023, Dar Młodzieży will welcome members of the public on board to explore the famous tall ship's bows. Gdynia Maritime University's sail training ship will be open for visits between 10:00 and 17:00 at the Pomeranian Quay (opposite the aquarium) in Gdynia. Entrance is free of charge. At the end of the Open Day, we will light up the tallest Christmas tree in the Tricity on the ship's sails.

All those interested will be welcome to get on board the Dar Młodzieży in the Pomeranian Quay on 10th December between 10:00 and 17:00. Visitors will be able to go below deck and visit the quarters inhabited by trainees and the ship's crew during voyages. GMU students and the crew of Dar Młodzieży will take part in the open day as guides. 

The open day will provide an opportunity to find out how the sailing ship operates, hear about a typical day on board, what it's like being at sea for weeks on end, and more. Visitors will also discover how a part of the famous Plac Kaszubski is also on board the ship, and see the newly awarded Sultan Qaboos Sailing Trophy, the Sail Training Organization's most prestigious award, in the captain's quarters.

From around 16:00, the Gdynia Maritime University Academic Choir, conducted by Dr. Karol Hill, will perform festive songs.

At 17:00 Rector Professor Adam Weintrit;  the Mayor of Gdynia, Dr Wojciech Szczurek; and Rafał Szymański, Captain of the Dar Młodzieży, will turn on the lights on what will be the tallest Christmas tree in the Tricity.

Dar Młodzieży is a three-masted frigate. The ship's tallest masts - the mainsail and foresail - are 49.5m tall, whereas the cutter mast is a little shorter at 46.5m in length. Christmas lights decorate the tops of all the masts  - at their tallest point at a height of 60m above sea level. The tallest Christmas tree in the Tricity needed 200 metres of cable and more than 200 bulbs.

The tradition of illuminating Dar Młodzieży during the Christmas season began during the Independence Voyage in 2018 when the sailing ship spent December on the Los Angeles coast.

On 11 November 2023, Poland's Independence Day, Gdynia Maritime University's sail training ship returned to its home port from an almost six-month voyage during which it crossed the equator in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the crossing of the equator by the "Lwów" - the Maritime School's sail training ship.

During the current 248-day season, the Dar Młodzieży covered 21,131 nautical miles, visiting 20 ports in 11 countries and welcoming on board 116,903 visitors.