Dar Pomorza Museum Ship

Dar Pomorza (roughly "dar po-MO-zha," meaning "Gift of Pomerania") is a three-masted full-rigged sailing ship moored at the South Pier in Gdynia, next to Kościuszko Square. Known in Poland as the "White Frigate," she trained generations of merchant navy officers and has been a museum ship of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk since the 1980s. Stepping aboard lets you explore the cabins, mess and engine room of a tall ship that sailed around the world.

A German-built ship with a Polish story

The ship was built in 1909 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg as the German training ship Prinzess Eitel Friedrich. After World War I she was handed to France as war reparations and sat largely unused. In 1929, money raised by the people of Poland's Pomerania region bought her for the Maritime School in Gdynia – hence the name. The price was £7,000. After a refit in Denmark, she reached Gdynia in June 1930.

Under the Polish flag she made 102 training voyages, trained more than 13,000 cadets and logged around half a million nautical miles. In 1934–35 she became the first Polish merchant ship to sail around the globe, and in 1972 she won the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race. Her last voyage ended in September 1981, and in 1982 she was handed over to the museum. Don't confuse her with Dar Młodzieży, her active successor, which still sails for Gdynia Maritime University.

Key facts at a glance:

• length overall about 81.5 m (267 ft); masts about 41 m high;
• sail area about 2,100 m²;
• crew at sea of around 190, including 150 cadets;
• over 125,000 visitors a year (2019).

What to see on board

The exhibition spreads over four levels. You'll see the captain's saloon with souvenirs from voyages and regattas, the officers' mess, the ship's hospital, the steering positions and the engine room, plus the wheel, engine telegraph and rigging on deck. One cabin honors Captain Karol Olgierd Borchardt, a much-loved Polish writer of sea stories. Temporary exhibitions in 2026 cover the ship's arrival in Gdynia and the lives of her crews. Labels are in Polish and English.

Visiting: time, accessibility and tips

A typical visit takes about 40 minutes; allow an hour with photos on the quay. Personal photos are fine without flash or tripod. Kids love the wheel and the engine room, but be aware: stairs are steep (around 45 degrees), thresholds are high and corridors are narrow. There are no restrooms and no cloakroom on board. Crew members help wheelchair users up the gangway to the main deck when staffing allows; lower decks are not accessible.

Is it worth visiting? Yes – it is one of the best-preserved prewar training ships you can board anywhere in the Baltic, and it pairs perfectly with a walk through Gdynia's UNESCO-listed modernist center.

Weekday mornings are the quietest time to go. On busy summer weekends the gangway crew may pause entry or split large groups when the ship is full. In the colder months dress warmly – most of the tour is inside, but the open deck catches the sea wind. If you are also visiting Gdańsk, the combined "Statki" ticket covers the historic steamship Sołdek on the Motława River as well.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm until October 31, 2026; closed Mondays. Last entry and ticket sales 60 minutes before closing. Check nmm.pl for the schedule from November.
• Tickets: 28 PLN regular, 17 PLN reduced.
• "Statki" combined pass with the steamship Sołdek in Gdańsk: 40 PLN / 25 PLN.
• Phone +48 58 620 23 71, email dar.pomorza@nmm.pl.

How to get there

Gdynia is about 30 minutes by SKM commuter train from central Gdańsk, and Gdańsk airport is roughly 23 km away with PKM trains to Gdynia Główna. From Gdynia Główna station it is a 20-minute walk (1.6 km) to the ship on Jana Pawła II Avenue. The nearest bus and trolleybus stop is Skwer Kościuszki – InfoBox, about 10 minutes away on foot. Drivers can use paid parking along the avenue, the Sea Towers garage or the underground lot below Grunwaldzki Square.

Nearby

The WWII destroyer ORP Błyskawica is moored next door (closed to visitors until March 31, 2027), and the Gdynia Aquarium stands at the end of the pier.