Monday’s ceremony coincided with the 99th anniversary of Gdynia being granted city rights.
Councillor Monika Strzałkowska described Professor Davies in a citation as “an ambassador of Polish history who, thanks to his literary talent and erudition, has been able to move the hearts and minds of people around the world.”
She added that his commitment to promoting Polish culture and history on the international stage merits special recognition.
Strzałkowska recalled that in 1968, while traveling from Kraków in southern Poland to Britain, Norman Davies was detained and held under arrest in Gdynia. “This event marked the beginning of Professor Davies’ long-standing ties with Gdynia. On his annual visits to the city until 1980, he stayed at 5 Jana z Kolna Street, the seat of the Swedish Consulate. These visits, both during the difficult years of communist Poland and later, held particular significance for him,” she said during the ceremony.
Professor Davies, who could not attend the event, said in a video message that receiving honorary citizenship of Gdynia was a great distinction for him. “Gdynia occupies an important place both in my historical knowledge and in my feelings. […] I promise to be a faithful and happy citizen of this famous city,” he said.
Professor Davies’s body of work includes more than 20 books translated into over 30 languages. His best-known studies include God’s Playground: A History of Poland, Rising ’44: The Battle for Warsaw, White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War 1919-1920, Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory, Trail of Hope: The Anders Army, an Odyssey across Three Continents, and Beneath Another Sky: A Global Journey into History.
In 2012, Davies received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor. He holds dual British and Polish citizenship.
🎉 Profesor Norman Davies Honorowym Obywatelem Gdyni! 🎉 Z ogromną radością dzielimy się wiadomością, że Rada Miasta...
Opublikowany przez Gdyński Dialog Środa, 22 stycznia 2025
Source: X/@MiastoGdynia/Facebook.com/GdynskiDialog
(m k / m p)