A 139 km river from the Drawsko Lakeland to Kołobrzeg, a canoe route that is easy from Białogard and difficult in the upper and middle course.
The Parsęta is a river 139 km long that rises near Parsęcko in the Drawsko Lakeland, about 7 km north-west of Szczecinek, and flows into the Baltic in Kołobrzeg. For visitors it is above all a canoe route, and in Kołobrzeg also a harbour waterfront at the river mouth. The towns of Białogard, Karlino and Kołobrzeg lie on it.
The canoe route has very varied sections. From Białogard to Kołobrzeg it is easy and open to mass tourism. In the upper and middle course, as far as Byszyno, it is in places very difficult and tiring: fallen trees, branching willows, narrowings, side currents and sharp bends. Long portages are needed there, some of them over 50 metres.
The description of the canoe route from the University of Gdańsk gives the length of the route as about 157 km (unlike the 139 km of the river in Wikipedia) and suggests a final, easy stage of about 20 km that ends in Kołobrzeg. It does not give the starting point of this stage, so check it in a canoeing guide before the trip.
The Parsęta valley is covered by the "Dorzecze Parsęty" habitat protection area. According to the route description, the river is known for salmon and sea trout, and more than 180 bird species live along it and in the surrounding forests, including cranes, swans, herons and storks. Oaks several hundred years old and the Pomeranian honeysuckle grow here.
From 20 March to 31 May every year a protected zone applies on a 2,830 m stretch, from the start of the Drzewny Canal near Budzistowo to the railway bridge in Kołobrzeg on Solna Street. Fishing, motorboat sports and bathing sites are prohibited there. On the waters of Kołobrzeg port, spinning fishing is prohibited from 15 September to 31 December.
From the railway bridge on Solna Street, the river's estuary section counts as inland sea waters. Kołobrzeg Port lies at the mouth, where the Parsęta together with the Drzewny Canal serves as the entrance channel, and ships moor at its quays. Nearby stands Kołobrzeg Lighthouse, about 0.3 km away, and a little further on the pier.
The name Parsęta was introduced officially in 1948, replacing the German name Persante. The origin of the name has not been explained, and researchers put forward several hypotheses. Since 1997 a national spinning competition, "Salmo Parsęty", has been held on the river, closing the season for fishing migratory sea trout and salmon.
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