Rose Garden in Szczecin (Różanka)

The Rose Garden (Różanka) is a two-hectare garden in Łękno, Szczecin, laid out in 1928 for a gardeners' congress. Until 1945 it bore the German name Staudengarten, Rosengarten. Today it grows more than nine thousand roses in 99 varieties.

History of the garden

The garden was created in what was then Westend. In 1935 the "Bird Fountain" was added, with sculptures of birds by Kurt Schwerdtfeger. The garden came through the Second World War intact and until the 1970s was a place of recreation for the people of Szczecin. A lack of money for upkeep let it fall into ruin. In 1983 the site was handed over to the Szczecin-Kamień Archdiocese, and in 2005 it returned to the city.

Reconstruction

In 2006-2007 the garden was rebuilt in the style of the 1930s. When the work was completed it was opened to the public on 20 April 2007. Steps, paths and a playground were created at that time, and the roses planted covered 99 varieties.

Fountain and trees

One of the main features of the garden is the Bird Fountain, recreated in clinker brick and marble from photographs and engravings. Its main elements are four concrete geese on a plinth: three of them are original and restored, and the fourth was made from scratch.

Besides the roses, the garden has exotic trees and shrubs planted when it was founded, among them ginkgo, smooth buckeye, dawn redwood, Amur cork tree, Caucasian maple and Serbian spruce, which in its natural habitat occurs only in the mountains of eastern Bosnia and western Serbia.

Location and route

Różanka lies on the edge of Kasprowicz Park, between Jasienicy, Zaleskiego and Moczyńskiego streets and a cycle path (Fałata), near the disused Szczecin Łękno railway halt.

The garden is the end point of the walking and cycling "Golden Trail", which begins at the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes. It is extended by a promenade through Kasprowicz Park towards the Mermaid Ponds, Głębokie Forest Park and Arkonka Park.

Practical information

• Address: Szczecin, Łękno, between Jasienicy, Zaleskiego and Moczyńskiego streets.
• Check opening hours and admission rules with the city or the garden's administrator before visiting.
• The garden has a playground.