Parks

Parks in West Pomerania: city parks, arboreta, national and landscape parks, from Szczecin and Stargard to Drawno and Wolin.

The list covers several dozen green places: parks inside towns, dendrological and themed gardens, and large protected areas. Almost all of them are free, so they suit a walk, a picnic or a short trip out of town.

Which city parks are worth visiting in Szczecin?

Szczecin has eight parks and gardens on this list, spread over different districts. Biggest of all is Park im. Jana Kasprowicza (Jan Kasprowicz Park) in Łękno: about 27 ha, laid out in 1900, with a Summer Theatre and rare tree species. Łękno is also home to the Ogród Różany w Szczecinie (Rose Garden, known as Różanka), a two-hectare garden from 1928 with over 9,000 roses in 99 varieties and a restored Bird Fountain.

The second largest city park is Park im. Stefana Żeromskiego w Szczecinie (Stefan Żeromski Park), about 22 ha, a dendrological park where 177 tree species grow and sculptures stand among the greenery. Not far away, in Niebuszewo-Bolinko, you will find the Ogród Dendrologiczny im. Stefana Kownasa (Stefan Kownas Dendrological Garden) on 15.5 hectares, with old beeches, over 300 yews and glacial boulders. On the Warszewo Hills lies Park Brodowski, with monumental trees, created in the 1970s where a cemetery used to be.

A separate, sober paragraph belongs to Cmentarz Centralny w Szczecinie (Szczecin Central Cemetery): an active necropolis with a park character, founded in 1901, covering 172.33 ha, with a historical avenue and a botanical path. The solemnity of a burial place applies here. The full city set is on Parki: Szczecin.

Where are the forests and forest parks near Szczecin?

The Bukowa Forest begins on the north-western edge of the city. Park Leśny Zdroje (Zdroje Forest Park) is a 173 ha section covered in beech woods, with trails and viewpoints, from where you can also reach Emerald Lake. On the other side of the Oder, on the right bank, lies Park Leśny Klęskowo, a 23-hectare area of ancient beeches and exotic trees, with the ruins of a manor.

The Szczeciński Park Krajobrazowy „Puszcza Bukowa” (Szczecin Landscape Park) is on a larger scale: the landscape park closest to Szczecin, over 9,000 hectares with trails and nature reserves. South and west of the city stretches the Park Krajobrazowy Dolina Dolnej Odry (Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park) with a network of channels and floodplains, kayak routes and a refuge for wetland birds. The Cedyński Park Krajobrazowy (Cedynia Landscape Park), also in the Lower Oder valley, has the Cedynia Carpathians, nine nature reserves and valley panoramas.

Which Stargard parks form the planty?

Stargard has eight parks and all of them are on this list, so it is a good town for walking from one green space to the next. Most form the planty around the Old Town, along the Ina river and the medieval walls.

Park Bolesława Chrobrego w Stargardzie (Bolesław the Brave Park) is the oldest city park, on former ramparts next to towers and walls, with the Nightingale Avenue. In the east of the Old Town lies Park Jagielloński w Stargardzie Szczecińskim (Jagiellonian Park) on the Ina, and further south Park Popiela with trees 100-200 years old. Park Zamkowy (Castle Park) occupies the site of an old stronghold, and Park Piastowski at the Pyrzyce Gate is the smallest of the planty.

Larger parks on former cemeteries are Park Stefana Batorego on 7 ha, founded in 1970, and Park 3 Maja w Stargardzie (3 May Park) in the town centre. In Zarzecze there is Park Panorama with a playground. All are described together on Parki: Stargard.

Which parks are worth seeing in Koszalin and on the coast?

Koszalin has three parks on the list. Park Książąt Pomorskich w Koszalinie (Park of the Pomeranian Dukes) lies in the Dzierżęcinka valley, with the oldest trees in the city, a castle pond and a section of the walls. Next to it is the Park Dendrologiczny w Koszalinie (Dendrological Park) covering 7.74 ha and containing a historic mill, and Park im. Tadeusza Kościuszki w Koszalinie covers 7.5 ha on a former cemetery and has an Avenue of Memorial Oaks. More: Parki: Koszalin.

By the sea, a spa-town stroll is offered by Park im. Stefana Żeromskiego w Kołobrzegu (Stefan Żeromski Park), a historic park founded in 1853; a concert shell stands in it and a bald cypress grows there. In Pustkowo, in the Rewal commune, Park Przyjaciół Pustkowa stands by the Baltic Cross of Hope and has a playground and a solar system that glows after dark. Woliński Park Narodowy (Wolin National Park) combines cliffs over the Baltic, bison in an enclosure, a nature museum and five viewpoints.

Where to look for arboreta and themed gardens?

For people who like trees and plants, the region has several collections. The Ogród Dendrologiczny w Przelewicach (Dendrological Garden in Przelewice) is an arboretum by a palace with about 1,200 plant species. The Arboretum w Glinnej on the edge of the Bukowa Forest holds more than 800 species and cultivars of trees and shrubs, most of them exotic, and the Arboretum w Karnieszewicach is a forest botanical garden with Douglas fir avenues. In Dobrzyca you will find Ogrody Tematyczne Hortulus (Hortulus Theme Gardens): 28 gardens on about 5 hectares, including sensory gardens.

Which national and landscape parks lie inland?

Drawieński Park Narodowy (Drawa National Park) in the Drawa Forest has a 41-kilometre kayak route along the Drawa, educational paths and beech woods. In the Drawsko Lakeland lies the Drawski Park Krajobrazowy and in the Ińsko Lakeland the Iński Park Krajobrazowy with 18 lakes, six nature reserves and a trail with a viewpoint on Głowacz. The Barlinecki Park Krajobrazowy with the Barlinek Forest is the youngest landscape park in the region.

On a smaller scale: Park Miejski w Szczecinku (Town Park) on Lake Trzesiecko with a rose garden and five cycle routes, and Park 750-lecia Goleniowa with wooden sculptures. For the active there is the Park Linowy w Rudnicy (Rope Park) near Wałcz, with zip lines up to 180 m, and monument lovers can check the Pałac Manowce w Brzózkach (Manowce Palace) on the Szczecin Lagoon, visited by appointment.

Frequently asked questions

Are the parks in West Pomerania free?

Almost all places on this list carry the free tag. The Glinna and Karnieszewice arboreta do not, so check the entry rules in their descriptions.

Which park is the largest in Szczecin?

The largest city park is Jan Kasprowicz Park in Łękno, about 27 ha. The second is Stefan Żeromski Park, about 22 ha.

Where can you paddle a kayak in a national park?

Drawa National Park has a 41-kilometre kayak route along the Drawa. Kayak routes are also found in the Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park and the Drawsko Landscape Park.

Which parks are closest to Szczecin?

Zdroje Forest Park, Klęskowo Forest Park and the Szczecin Landscape Park lie within the city or right next to it, in the Bukowa Forest.

Where can you see rare trees and plants?

Choose the Dendrological Garden in Przelewice, the arboreta in Glinna and Karnieszewice, or the Stefan Kownas Dendrological Garden in Szczecin.