Prof. Adam Wodziczko Natural History Museum of Wolin National Park

The Prof. Adam Wodziczko Natural History Museum of Wolin National Park stands in the centre of Międzyzdroje, on Filaret Hill, in a garden of 1.46 hectares. The modern pavilion, opened in 1995, has five exhibition rooms with a total area of 900 square metres, in which dioramas show the nature of the park: the shore of the Szczecin Lagoon, coastal cliffs and bison.

What the exhibitions show

The dioramas present typical landscapes of the park and the habitats of several dozen species of water birds, among them cormorants, goldeneyes, swans, kingfishers and grebes. A diorama of a white-tailed eagle's nest with chicks stands out. On the park's website the non-forest and water exhibitions are described as especially important, because such ecosystems today occupy about 60 per cent of the park's area. Among the scenes are a hunting white-tailed eagle carrying its prey, ruffs displaying and seals resting on the shore.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the collection of ruffs, 130 males in breeding plumage, is the richest in Poland. The display cases also hold birds that visit from the north, such as long-tailed ducks, mergansers, divers and auks, and the bison specimens come from the park's breeding centre. The ecosystems are complemented by a geological exhibition with Baltic amber.

The former home and the educational centre

The previous museum was housed in the neighbouring white villa from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and officially began operating in 1962. In 1996 the present pavilion won the Minister of Administration's prize for building of the year. The complex also includes an Educational and Museum Centre for 240 people, with two conference rooms, where nature films are shown during the summer holidays. In the museum you can buy souvenirs, publications about the region, maps and guidebooks.

Accessibility

The park's website states that the museum is adapted for people with disabilities and for families with pushchairs. The steps from the street to the main entrance can be avoided by entering through the park's main gate, with a ramp of about 30 metres to the left of the steps.

Nearby

In front of the museum a junction of marked trails meets, among them the Trail along the Baltic and the Szczecin Lagoon. Nearby is the Church of St Peter the Apostle, and you can reach Wolin National Park and the Bison Show Reserve a few kilometres further on.

Practical information

• Address: Międzyzdroje, Niepodległości Street (Filaret Hill); the Wikipedia entry gives the number 3a.
• Opening hours and rules of entry are given on the website of Wolin National Park, under the tab “Opening hours of facilities”. Check them before your visit.