Parks: Szczecin

Parks in Szczecin: eight green places, from Kasprowicz Park and the Rose Garden to the forest parks of Zdroje and Klęskowo in the Beech Forest.

Szczecin has so much greenery that its parks make a kind of walk in themselves, from urban layouts of the early twentieth century to forests on the city's edge. The list includes arboretum-style parks, a rose garden, forest parks in the Beech Forest (Puszcza Bukowa) and a working park-cemetery. Several lie on the sites of former cemeteries, which explains their layout and old trees.

Which park in Szczecin should you pick for a walk near the centre?

If you are staying close to the centre, choose Kasprowicz Park, Żeromski Park or the Rose Garden. All three lie within the city and can be reached without a long trip.

Jan Kasprowicz Park is the biggest of Szczecin's municipal parks, and its slopes fall towards Lake Rusałka. It was once called Quistorp Park, having been founded in 1900. The Summer Theatre stands inside it and rare trees grow among the others. Nearby in Łękno you will find the Rose Garden, called Różanka. It was founded in 1928 and today holds over nine thousand rosebushes and a rebuilt Bird Fountain.

In the Old Town lies Stefan Żeromski Park, the second biggest in the city. Along its paths you pass sculptures and trees of 177 species, and the park grew where cemeteries once stood.

Where are the arboretum-style parks in Szczecin?

Two parks on the list work like tree collections: Żeromski Park and the Kownas Dendrological Garden. Both were created on former cemeteries, so their paths follow the earlier layout of the ground.

The Stefan Kownas Dendrological Garden lies in Niebuszewo-Bolinko, by Niemierzyńska Street, and its strengths are old beeches, yews and boulders left by a glacier. Brodowski Park on the Warszewo Hills, at Słowicza Street, has a similar past: it was laid out after the 1970s where a cemetery had been, and today it is known for its monumental trees.

Which forest parks of Szczecin lie in the Beech Forest?

Two large forest parks belong to the Beech Forest: Zdroje in the north-west and Klęskowo on the right bank. These are places for a longer walk, far from street traffic.

Zdroje Forest Park is a broad beech wood with some oak and pine. Marked trails and viewpoints help you explore, and paths lead down to Emerald Lake. Klęskowo Forest Park takes up a rolling piece of forest between the Bukowe and Słoneczne estates. Besides old beeches you will meet exotic trees and the remains of a former manor. Both belong to the Szczecin Forests, and for gardens and arboreta of the wider region read Gardens, arboreta and dendrological parks of the region.

How should you think of Central Cemetery among Szczecin's parks?

It is a working cemetery in Gumieńce, founded in 1901, which also has the character of a park. It covers 172.33 hectares and the rules of a burial ground apply, so visit it calmly and with respect.

Szczecin Central Cemetery has a historic avenue and a botanical trail. According to Wikipedia it is the largest cemetery in Poland. If you want green space for a walk, treat it as a separate place rather than an ordinary city park.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the largest park in Szczecin?

Jan Kasprowicz Park is the biggest, and Stefan Żeromski Park comes second.

Where can you see roses in Szczecin?

In the Rose Garden (Różanka) in Łękno, where thousands of rosebushes grow beside a rebuilt Bird Fountain.

Where is the forest park in Szczecin?

Zdroje and Klęskowo lie in the Beech Forest. In the first you follow trails to viewpoints above Emerald Lake, in the second you see old beeches and the remains of a manor.

Which Szczecin parks lie on former cemeteries?

Żeromski Park, the Kownas Dendrological Garden and Brodowski Park. The layout of these grounds follows earlier burial sites, and today they are parks with rich old tree stands.