War Has Changed Polish Cities Forever

Polish local governments have taken on the goal of providing long-term residents and escapees from Russian bombs with high quality of life

One year ago, most experts claimed war would not break out and that Putin’s bark was worse than his bite. A little later, it seemed – for a day or two – that the refugee crisis would affect locations in southern Poland more than anywhere else. Then, unpredictable events unravelled with the speed of light. Today, as a result of warfare, Gdynia is forever changed compared to what it used to be just under one year ago. One would be hard-pressed to describe in a nutshell everything we as a local government wanted and had to do for Ukraine and the Ukrainians. The actual statistics potentially impressive; since early days of war, Gdynia’s twenty-two accommodation centres have taken in over 4,000 individuals. Seventy-two thousand food parcels and over fifty thousand meals have been issued. Humanitarian aid worth just under PLN 4 million has been provided. A city with an approximate population of 245,000 has grown by at least another 15,000.