Lighthouses and ports
a 19th-century shipping canal that cut the island of Karsibór off from Uznam
Lighthouses and ports
a brick lighthouse from 1857 with 308 steps, the tallest on the Polish coast
Lighthouses and ports
a white windmill-shaped stawa at the end of the breakwater, a symbol of Świnoujście
Spa towns
Museums
a former town hall of 1806 with an exhibition on the fauna of the Baltic, fishing and the history of the town
Historic sites
a Prussian coastal fort of 1848-1859 with a museum and visits in the role of a Prussian army recruit
Lakes
a former bay of the Szczecin Lagoon in Wolin National Park with the ports of Lubin and Wapnica and the Viking Oak
Historic sites
bunkers from the 1930s, a secret command post in the communist period, visited with a guide
Historic sites
a brick rotunda with a terrace from 1854-1858, a fortification museum and a Vikings' hall in a former fort
Historic sites
a Prussian coastal fort with casemates, the Henningsen battery shelter and a fortress history museum
Historic sites
a Prussian complex of four forts at the mouth of the Świna, three of which can be visited today
Churches and monasteries
a church of 1788-1792 with a tower of 1881, a Steinmeyer organ and a model sailing ship under the ceiling
Churches and monasteries
a Neo-Gothic brick church from 1895-1896, built for Polish seasonal workers
Churches and monasteries
what remains of a Neo-Gothic church from 1904, converted into a viewing terrace
Churches and monasteries
late Gothic church by the former crossing of the Świna, with a 16th-century altar
Churches and monasteries
Neo-Gothic church of the early 20th century in Przytór, formerly Protestant, with three stained-glass windows in the chancel
Historic sites
brick post office building from 1878, rebuilt around 1900, in the centre of Świnoujście
an 8-metre viewing platform with a panorama of the Szczecin Lagoon
Spa towns
wooden salt graduation towers at the beach entrance, at the end of the renovated promenade
Churches and monasteries
church from the 1990s on the Posejdon estate, consecrated in December 1998
Solo in Świnoujście means the tallest lighthouse, Prussian forts, a spa park with graduation towers and a seaside promenade.
Świnoujście lies on several islands, so it suits anyone who likes their own rhythm: the sea, fortification ruins, brick churches and the quiet of the forest all sit close together. The selection covers about twenty places, from a beacon shaped like a windmill to underground bunkers. If you plan several trips on your own, look in the Solo section, and for the whole town read things to do in Świnoujście.
Begin with the sea and the spa, then head towards the port. Everything that needs only your own legs and a little curiosity fits within a few kilometres.
The Tężnie solankowe w Świnoujściu (Salt Graduation Towers) are where the Historic Promenade reaches the beach on the Małachowskiego Street side. Two wooden platforms covered with twigs, down which brine trickles, create a mist to breathe. A notice from 2021 advised spending about half an hour there. The promenade is 1.5 kilometres long and was renovated and extended in 2019-2020. Further on lies the Park Zdrojowy w Świnoujściu (Spa Park), a landscape park laid out in 1820-1829 as the setting of the spa, with old trees, avenues and sculptures. Sources link it with the name of Peter Joseph Lenné. The town's origins as a resort are told in an article on Świnoujście as a spa town.
For views there is the Latarnia Morska Świnoujście (Świnoujście Lighthouse) in the Warszów district, which Wikipedia calls the highest on the Polish Baltic shore and the highest brick lighthouse anywhere. The tower measures 67.7 metres and has 308 steps. From the port, take a look at the Stawa Młyny, a white, windmill-shaped beacon at the tip of the West Breakwater, and one of the town's emblems. A calmer walk is offered by the Kanał Piastowski (Piast Canal), which was dug in the later 19th century through Usedom to link the Świna with the Szczecin Lagoon; its banks are steep and nearly free of plants.
The Prussian Świnoujście Fortress consisted of four forts, of which three still stand: Angel, Gerhard and Western. Each tells a different chapter in the defence of the port.
The Twierdza Świnoujście (Świnoujście Fortress) was built in the 19th century and designed by Johann Leopold Ludwig Brese. Fort Gerharda w Świnoujściu (Gerhard Fort), also called the Eastern Fort, ranks among the best preserved Prussian coastal artillery forts in Europe. Getting there is unusual: you reach the fort by boat, and a museum occupies its redoubt. Its history is told in an article on Gerhard Fort. Fort Anioła w Świnoujściu (Angel Fort) of 1854-1858 is a brick rotunda on three levels, ringed by a moat and topped by a terrace, and today houses a museum of military architecture with a café and exhibitions. Nearby, at Jachtowa 4a, stands the Fort Zachodni w Świnoujściu (Western Fort), with underground casemates and shelters, home of the Fortress History Museum.
From another era comes the Zespół baterii artylerii nabrzeżnej „Vineta” w Świnoujściu (Vineta Coastal Artillery Battery Complex), a set of shelters raised by the German navy in 1936-1938. After 1945 the shelters were linked by corridors and for decades held a secret command post. Today they are a branch of the Coastal Defence Museum and open only with a guide. A text on the coastal battery tells more, and the postwar story of the port and garrison is collected in an article on Świnoujście after 1945.
The town spreads across several islands, with the Świna and the Piast Canal marking the boundaries. How you cross depends on your goal: Gerhard Fort is reached by boat, and Karsibór, separated by the canal from the rest of Usedom, lies on the other side of the water.
The crossings, including the tunnel under the Świna, are the subject of an article on the tunnel and the crossings between the islands. A two-day plan with neighbouring towns is in the text a weekend on the islands.
The churches of Świnoujście come from four centuries. Travelling alone, you can use them to cross districts that you never see from the beach.
Kościół Chrystusa Króla w Świnoujściu (Christ the King Church) on Plac Kościelny has a body from 1788-1792 and a tower added in 1881, Steinmeyer organs and a model corvette under the ceiling. Since 2022 it has been a sanctuary. Kościół Najświętszej Marii Panny Gwiazdy Morza w Świnoujściu (Star of the Sea Church) of 1895-1896 was the first Catholic church in the area, built mainly for Polish seasonal workers, and above its portal has an Ave Maris Stella mosaic. In the Przytór district stands the neo-Gothic Kościół Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Świnoujściu (Sacred Heart Church), built for a Protestant parish and blessed as a Catholic church after the war. On Karsibór stands the late Gothic Church of the Immaculate Conception raised in the early 1400s; in 1630 the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus stayed in the area. The modern Kościół śś. Stanisława i Bonifacego w Świnoujściu (Church of St Stanislaus and St Boniface) in the Posejdon estate was built in 1994-1998.
The only remnant of a neo-Gothic Protestant church of 1904 is the Wieża kościoła Marcina Lutra w Świnoujściu (Tower of the Martin Luther Church), kept as a landmark and now with a viewing terrace. Among secular buildings is the Gmach poczty w Świnoujściu (Post Office Building), a brick structure of 1878, rebuilt around 1900 and entered in the monuments register.
Only one place is marked for rain, but a good one: the Muzeum Rybołówstwa Morskiego w Świnoujściu (Sea Fishing Museum) occupies the old town hall on Plac Rybaka, built in 1805-1806. Inside are Baltic wildlife, amber, historic nets and gear, model ships and the town's story.
If you prefer quiet, cross to Karsibór, where the Wieża widokowa w Leśnictwie Karsibór (Observation Tower at Karsibór Forest District) is an eight-metre wooden platform above the Szczecin Lagoon beside the "Karsiborskie paprocie" trail, also suited to bird watching. Another outing is Wicko Wielkie (Lake Wicko Wielkie), a lake of 12 square kilometres lying mostly within Wolin National Park. Two harbours, Lubin and Wapnica, lie on the eastern bank.
Yes. The promenade, spa park, graduation towers, lighthouse and forts are places you visit alone and at your own pace. Some, like Gerhard Fort, need a boat trip.
Plan some energy: you climb 308 steps up a tower almost 68 metres high.
The only way in is by boat. The fort lies on the eastern edge of town, on Wolin island, not far from the lighthouse.
The Sea Fishing Museum, housed in the old town hall. It is the only place in this selection with the rain tag.
