Academics, students, local councillors, and residents once again marched together along the Royal Route in Gdańsk to symbolically welcome the new academic year and showcase the potential of the Pomeranian academic community. Representatives from as many as 20 universities took part in this year’s parade. An additional reason to celebrate was the signing of the Metropolitan Act in August.

The parade, held under the slogan ‘Long live science!’, has become a permanent fixture in Pomerania’s academic calendar. Every year, it brings together representatives from universities, local authorities, institutions and residents, who celebrate the start of the new academic year together.

‘Higher education institutions are important and invaluable, for, like engines, they drive the entire urban organism: economically, socially and culturally. Thank you, academics! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the establishment of the Fahrenheit Universities Federation. This vision is consistent with the efforts to establish the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area. We are getting ever closer to our goal,’ emphasised Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk.

The event was also attended by Anna Olkowska-Jacyno, Deputy Governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; Marcin Skwierawski, Deputy Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; MEP Magdalena Adamowicz; as well as rectors, staff, doctoral students and students from Pomeranian universities.

This year, for the first time, the banner opening the parade featured a slogan referring to the Act on the Metropolitan Union, signed by the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. Its adoption was preceded by many months of efforts, in which the Pomeranian academic community also played an active role, expressing their joint support for the creation of the metropolitan area.

‘Over the past year, we have had a very concrete example of what such joint action can lead to. A united stance in support of establishing the metropolitan area preceded the signing of the metropolitan act. Because a metropolitan area is not just about administrative boundaries and regulations. It is made up of people. Local government officials, academics, residents, entrepreneurs. Everyone who lives and works here and wants to develop this region,’ said prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Chair of the Assembly of The Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk and Rector of Gdańsk University of Technology.

‘When we combine the potential of our universities, Pomerania gains a strength that is visible and appreciated throughout Europe. It is the researchers, lecturers and students who are the beating heart and foundation of this emerging metropolis,’ emphasised Anna Olkowska-Jacyno.

The joint opening of the academic year in Gdańsk took place for the fifth time. The event once again demonstrated how closely Pomeranian universities cooperate with one another and what an important role the academic community plays in the region’s development. Before the procession began, academic choirs performed ‘Gaudeamus igitur’ together, and along the route the participants were accompanied by the Gdańsk Academic Orchestra and colourful characters, this time inspired by the sea, seafaring and privateers.

This year’s parade was also an opportunity to highlight changes within The Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk. The Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology and the University of Gdańsk, which had previously formed the alliance, were joined by two further Gdańsk higher education institutions: the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music and the Academy of Fine Arts. This marks another important step towards the creation of a federation of higher education institutions.

‘I am very pleased about this, because it brings science, art and culture even closer together. I would like us to think of Pomerania in precisely this way. As a place where universities, local government, culture and the economy do not simply operate alongside one another, but genuinely engage in dialogue and are able to build something together,’ noted prof. Krzysztof Wilde.

During the event, PhD students from Gdańsk’s art universities, who have been admitted to the association, gave performances.

‘In the popular imagination, a musician’s work boils down to concerts, rehearsals, recordings, interviews and, sometimes, thunderous applause. We, on the other hand, as academics, read, write, experiment and carry out research projects,’ said Małgorzata Priebe from the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. ‘The most important task for us, as artists, is to invite you into our inner world.’

‘Standing between two worlds - the world of children and the world of adults - I want two things today. To be a source of support for those who need it, but also to retain curiosity, openness and kindness - the very qualities I see in children and which have also given rise to wonderful initiatives. One of these is the establishment of The Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk, which my Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Music are joining today,’ said Dominik Derewecki, a PhD student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.

In addition to the five universities forming The Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk, representatives from the following institutions also took part:

• the Ateneum Academy in Gdańsk,
• the Vistula Academy of Finance and Business, Gdańsk branch,
• the Heroes of Westerplatte Naval Academy,
• the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk,
• the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk,
• the Jędrzej Śniadecki Academy of Physical Education and Sport,
• the Gdańsk Medical Academy of Applied Sciences,
• the Gdańsk Seminary,
• the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology, Gdańsk branch,
• the Powiśle Academy of Applied Sciences,
• the Sopot Academy of Applied Sciences,
• WSB Merito University in Gdańsk,
• the Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski College of Administration and Business in Gdynia,
• the College of Security, Gdańsk branch,
• the College of Economic Engineering in Słupsk,
• the Higher School of Social and Economic Studies in Gdańsk,
• and the Higher School of Tourism and Hospitality in Gdańsk.

The organisers would like to extend their sincere thanks for their cooperation to the Gdańsk Archipelago of Culture, the Gdańsk Museum, the Tadeusz Tylewski Medical University of Gdańsk Choir, the Gdańsk University of Technology Choir, the University of Gdańsk Academic Choir, and the services that ensured the march proceeded safely.