Historic sites
a 14th-century ducal castle on a peninsula of Lake Trzesiecko, now a conference centre
Museums
one of the oldest museums in the region, with a nobility room, a hunting room and a collection of silver
Parks and nature
peat bog reserve with a peat dome, sundews and an educational trail on wooden boardwalks
a neo-Gothic brick church with a tower 78 m high and a Voelkner organ from 1908
18th-century cemetery with a former pre-burial house converted into a chapel
Museums
museum in a Pomeranian Wall bunker of 1935, with militaria and a T-34-85 tank at the entrance
Historic sites
town hall of 1852 with a tower and a noon bugle call, open to visitors during office hours
Parks and nature
lakeside park from the late 19th century with a rose garden, a concert shell and natural monuments
Parks and nature
reserve with old oak stands and Gagea spathacea beside a nature path and cycling trails
Churches and monasteries
Orthodox church in a brick synagogue of 1824, adapted for the liturgy in 1952
Churches and monasteries
Gothic brick tower left from a church demolished in 1909, former seat of the town museum
Churches and monasteries
a Greek Catholic church built in 2010-2015, consecrated after an arson attack in 2014
Lakes
a lake with a stretch of the Szczecinek Loop kayak route, 102 ha and up to 24.9 m deep
Churches and monasteries
neo-Romanesque Polish Church of 1923 next to the Redemptorist monastery
rope park on Mysia Wyspa by Lake Trzesiecko, part of the Linolandia network
indoor play hall for children up to 12 with a monkey grove, ninja course and trampolines
trampolines, climbing wall, airbag and ninja course on a floor of the Nova centre
Things to do in Szczecinek: a castle on Lake Trzesiecko, a museum in a Pomeranian Wall bunker, lakes and a dozen more places for a day trip.
Szczecinek lies on the isthmus between lakes Trzesiecko, Wielimie and Wilczkowo, in the Drawsko Lakeland. In one walk the town combines a castle, a park by the water, neo-Gothic churches and former German bunkers. Further out, in the surrounding municipality, are lakes and nature reserves.
Begin with three places in the centre: the castle, the park by the lake and the town hall. They are minutes apart on foot and together give a first picture of the town. The whole route across the isthmus between the lakes is described in the article on a walk around Szczecinek.
The Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes at Mickiewicza 2a is a 14th-century medieval seat of the dukes' stewards, on Lake Trzesiecko. It serves as a conference centre now, so people mostly look at it from the park or from the water. The park is right beside it: the City Park runs along the Szczecinek shore of Trzesiecko. It has a rose garden, a concert shell, old trees and five cycle routes, and entry is free. The town hall at Plac Wolności 13 is a neo-Gothic red brick building from 1852, still the seat of the town authorities, with a tower from which a bugle call sounds at noon.
Szczecinek has several churches that show different periods: from a Gothic tower through neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque to Orthodox churches. Most are in the centre and can be visited on foot. All are listed under churches and monasteries in Szczecinek.
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 3 Maja 1 is a neo-Gothic building from 1905-1908 designed by Oskar Hoßfeld, formerly the Protestant church of St Nicholas, with an organ by Paul Voelkner. Of its predecessor the tower of St Nicholas' church survives: Gothic, brick, the only remnant of a church demolished in 1909, which housed a museum until 2006. The Church of the Holy Spirit from 1923, in neo-Romanesque style, was the only Catholic church in town until 1945 and stands next to a Redemptorist monastery.
Two Orthodox churches complete the picture. The Church of the Holy Trinity at Szkolna 6 is an Orthodox church in a former synagogue building from 1824, plain outside and with a contemporary iconostasis. The Church of St Michael the Archangel on Karlińska Street is a new Greek Catholic building with a dome on the roof, consecrated in 2015. Many of these sites are also gathered under cathedrals, churches, monasteries and architecture in Szczecinek.
Szczecinek has two museums on different themes: a regional one and one devoted to the Pomeranian Wall. Both work under a roof, so they suit a rainy day. Two play parks for children add to the choice. More ideas for bad weather are under rainy-day places in Szczecinek.
The Regional Museum at Szkolna 1 is one of the oldest museums in West Pomerania. It has regional, noble, garrison, hunting and silver rooms and archaeological collections. The origins of the museum and its link to the tower of St Nicholas' church are explained in the article on the museum and the tower. The Pomeranian Wall and Second World War Museum is housed in a German combat bunker from 1935, part of the Pomeranian Wall, and shows military items and a T-34-85 tank. More about the fortifications of this stretch is in the article on the bunkers of Szczecinek and Wałcz.
For families the town has three places: a rope park by the lake and two indoor play parks. The choice depends on the weather and the children's age. More ideas are under for children and for families.
Linolandia Rope Park operates on Mysia Wyspa (Mouse Island) on Trzesiecko, part of a chain of rope parks, and suits an active day with family. Raban Szczecinek at Armii Krajowej 78 is for children from babies to 12 years old and has a monkey grove, a ninja course, trampolines, a games zone and a café for parents. Tramp Klub is a trampoline park on the second floor of the Nova shopping centre at Bohaterów Warszawy 28, with a climbing wall, an airbag, a ninja course and tubing.
Outside town lie lakes and two reserves a short drive away. They are free, good for walks and for canoeing. Places are gathered under nature, parks and nature and free things to do.
Wierzchowo is a lake in the Szczecinek municipality, of roughly 712 to 732 hectares, with long sandy beaches. The Gwda flows out of it, a river popular with canoeists. Studnica, also called Drężno, covers 102 ha and is 2.1 km long, and the Szczecinek Loop canoe route passes through it. The Bagno Kusowo nature reserve, created on 25 May 2005 in a forest 12 km from town, protects a Baltic-type raised bog and has an educational boardwalk trail. Dęby Wilczkowskie is a floristic reserve with old oak stands and rare Gagea spathacea, next to cycle routes and the Las Klasztorny path.
Szczecinek has a surviving Jewish cemetery, a site tied to the history of the town's former community. It calls for a calm, factual approach.
The Jewish Cemetery in Szczecinek was founded in the early 18th century, covers about 0.2 hectares and is listed in the register of monuments. A former pre-burial house stands on it. The fate of the region's Jewish cemeteries is covered in the article on Jewish cemeteries of West Pomerania.
The castle, the City Park on Trzesiecko, the town hall, one of the museums and a neo-Gothic church in the centre. In the evening you can walk along the lake.
Go to the museums, the trampolines or an indoor play park. The Pomeranian Wall Museum is in a combat bunker, so it is also an unusual choice.
Wierzchowo, Studnica and Trzesiecko itself. Wierzchowo has long sandy beaches, and the Szczecinek Loop canoe route runs through Studnica.
The City Park, the lakes and both reserves, Bagno Kusowo and Dęby Wilczkowskie, cost nothing to enter.
