Gdynia.

Gdynia grew from a small fishing village into Poland's main seaport during the interwar period, and the city still carries that origin story in its streets. Function­alist buildings from the 1920s and 1930s line the centre, built in a single confident wave rather than layered over centuries, which gives Gdynia a cleaner, more open feel than its older neighbours on the bay. The waterfront is the heart of things: the tall ship Dar Pomorza and the destroyer ORP Błyskawica sit moored as museum vessels, and the Emigration Museum tells the story of the millions who left Poland through this port for new lives abroad. Kościuszko Square opens onto the marina and the Southern Pier, where fishing boats and leisure craft share the water. South of the centre, the wooded cliff of Kępa Redłowska rises straight from the shore, and the Orłowo district adds a quieter pier and sandy beach. Together these pieces make Gdynia a working port city with genuine beach and cliff scenery close at hand.