Places with character
steel bridge from 1921, the only Szczecin bridge to survive the Second World War
Places with character
square on the site of St Mary's Church, beside the birthplace of the future Empress Catherine II
Places with character
bronze and granite at the entrance to the Szczecin City Stadium
Places with character
riverside boulevard in the Old Town with the Sailors' Alley and the monument to the cat Umbriaga
Places with character
a mound from 1808 raised by French soldiers in honour of Napoleon I's birthday
Atmospheric places in Szczecin: star-shaped squares, riverside quays, old bridges and quiet corners of the Old Town.
This selection is for visitors who are not after a single attraction but a place to stroll: couples on an evening out, locals at the weekend and guests who want to feel the character of the city. Most of these places are free and open to the street, and their charm cannot be put into numbers, you simply have to walk around them.
Build a first route from Wyspa Grodzka, the Dźwigozaury (the harbour cranes on Łasztownia), the Hay Market (Rynek Sienny) and Grunwaldzki Square. The first two show the Oder in Szczecin, the next two the old fabric of the city, and together they fill half a day.
Wyspa Grodzka lies on the river opposite Chrobry Embankment, covers about 15 hectares and has no residents, but it does have a marina for 150 boats and a municipal summer zone. The Dźwigozaury are three historic harbour cranes dating to the 1930s, standing on the quay of Łasztownia and regarded as one of the symbols of the city. They have been lit up every night since 2018, so they are best seen after dark.
The most interesting are the star-shaped squares in the centre, from which streets radiate, and the Old Town squares rebuilt after the war. The first show the city of the late 19th century, the second traces of the medieval street plan.
Grunwaldzki Square is the biggest and grandest of the city's star-shaped squares, with eight roads meeting there, modelled on Parisian solutions. Three more lie on the axis of ulica Piłsudskiego: Szarych Szeregów Square, formerly Arndtplatz, with a monument to Józef Piłsudski, Odrodzenia Square with eclectic townhouses of the late 19th century, designed in 1882, and Lotników Square, formerly Augustaplatz, and a pedestrian centre where the monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni stands.
Lotników Square also holds the Ptak sculptural accent, a resting pigeon sculpted in 1981-1982, one of the ten sculptural accents that have survived on the square. Polish Soldier Square, the former Parade Ground, was refurbished in 2011-2012, and a tourist information pavilion stands next to it.
The Hay Market, called Heumarkt until 1945, is a cobbled square with the Old Town Hall and townhouses rebuilt in the 1990s. On White Eagle Square, the former Horse Market, stand the White Eagle Fountain of 1729-1732, the oldest Baroque fountain still standing in Szczecin, and the Palace Under the Globe. The New Market is an irregular square where eight streets meet, where one frontage has been rebuilt and the foundations of old townhouses are visible, while Mariacki Square stands where the church of St Mary once rose.
In the New Town lies Plac Zwycięstwa with two churches and the “Labirynt” sculpture, a fountain-sculpture of clinker forms from 1997, in ruins for years. Next to the Red Town Hall is the small square Tobruk Square with the Anchor Monument. In Śródmieście-Północ Teatralny Square has the Pleciuga Puppet Theatre building in the middle, and Rodła Square is one of the main traffic junctions, laid out around 1976.
Best in the Old Town, on Piastowski Boulevard, on Wyspa Grodzka and around the port on Łasztownia. Each of these shows the river from a different side: the promenade, the sailing and the industrial one.
Piastowski Boulevard is the lower part of Nabrzeże Wieleckie, the former main riverside street, with Aleja Żeglarzy and a monument to the cat Umbriaga. The Port of Szczecin is a functioning seaport and river port in the middle of the city, with Łasztownia, the former free-trade port and boat trips around the port waters. For visitors it is above all quays on the Oder and a view of a working city.
If you like the feel of old lanes, step into Targ Rybny, a 49-metre lane of medieval origin paved with granite setts and rebuilt on the pre-war foundations of townhouses. In the same area is Posejdon Center, an office block by the Port Gate whose earlier lives included a department store and a cinema called UFA Palast. Today it is known for its green wall.
Three crossings have a history of their own. The Long Bridge connects the centre with Łasztownia, the bridge to Jaskółcza Island survived the Second World War, and the Cłowy Bridge stands in Dąbie on the Regalica.
The Sobieski Long Bridge crosses the Western Oder and was the first bridge built in the city, rebuilt in 1959. The steel bridge to Jaskółcza Island, built in 1920-1921 to a design by Hermann Scholl, is the only one in Szczecin that survived the war. The Cłowy Bridge links the left and right banks on the site of a former medieval toll point and was rebuilt after being blown up in 1945 and demolished in 2017.
In Pogodno, where villas surround a round square, and on Napoleon Hill. These are less touristy and calmer places than the Old Town.
Jakub Wujek Square is a spacious round square at the start of the Neu Westend estate, surrounded by villas of 1902-1907 and two playgrounds. Walerian Pawłowski Square has a concert shell, fairs, a flea market and an annual series of philharmonic concerts. By the Municipal Stadium stands the Florian Krygier bench, a bronze sculpture of 2023 honouring a footballer and coach.
On the border of Pogodno and the Zawadzkiego-Klonowica estate lies Napoleon Hill, an artificial mound raised in 1808 by French soldiers to mark Napoleon I's birthday, with a Prussian cast-iron column on top.
All the places carry the tag "For couples", but many will suit anyone who enjoys walks without a plan. A good route runs from Polish Soldier Square through the Old Town to Piastowski Boulevard, and from there over the Long Bridge to Łasztownia, where the Dźwigozaury wait.
If you also want to see historic buildings, look at the category of historic sites in Szczecin and churches and monasteries in Szczecin. For green space and rest see Parks and nature: Szczecin, and for rainy days Museums: Szczecin. A full overview is on the page about things to do in Szczecin, and places from the whole region are gathered in the category Atmospheric places.
On Wyspa Grodzka opposite Chrobry Embankment, on Piastowski Boulevard and on Łasztownia by the Dźwigozaury. In the evening the cranes are lit.
Grunwaldzki Square as the largest star-shaped square, White Eagle Square with its Baroque fountain and the Hay Market with the Old Town Hall. The round Jakub Wujek Square in Pogodno is also a good choice.
Squares, bridges, quays and small greens can be seen from the street without a ticket. Information about boat trips around the port is on the entry for the Port of Szczecin.
Walk through the lit places: the Dźwigozaury on Łasztownia, Piastowski Boulevard and the squares of the Old Town. By Wyspa Grodzka there is a municipal summer zone.
It lies on the border of Pogodno and the Zawadzkiego-Klonowica estate, so it is a separate trip away from the Old Town and the centre.
