Wolin National Park

Wolin National Park lies in the central-western part of the island of Wolin, between the Pomeranian Bay and the Szczecin Lagoon, and covers 10,937 ha. It was established in 1960 on an area of 4844 ha. After the inclusion in 1996 of sea waters, the waters of the Szczecin Lagoon and an archipelago of coastal islands, it became the first marine park in Poland.

Cliffs, hills and the Świna delta

The landscape is dominated by a range of end-moraine hills by the sea and the Lagoon. The park's website states that the highest active cliffs reach 93 m, while the Wikipedia entry gives 95 m, so take the figure as approximate. According to Wikipedia, abrasion moves the shoreline by about 80 cm a year. Moraine hills occupy about 75 per cent of the park's area, and the highest is Grzywacz (115.9 m above sea level).

The second type of landscape is the Świna delta with several dozen marshy islets, and the third is a lakeland with glacial lakes around Warnowo. The Łuniewo nature reserve lies in the buffer zone (Łuniewo), and among the larger lakes is Lake Czajcze.

Forests, birds and animals

Forests cover the moraine hills: pine takes up 68 per cent of the land area, beech 23 and oak 7. More than 1300 species of vascular plants have been recorded on the island, and more than 230 species of birds in the park. The symbol of the park is the white-tailed eagle, and the waters of the Pomeranian Bay are home to the grey seal and the harbour porpoise. 7 strict protection areas have been designated in the park.

Viewpoints and places to visit

The park has 5 viewpoints: Gosań, Kawcza, Zielonka, Piaskowa Góra and Grodzisko Lubin. The portal describes Gosań and Kawcza Góra. At the hillfort in Lubin, an early medieval stronghold from the 10th-12th centuries, there are viewing terraces with telescopes looking over the Szczecin Lagoon.

Bison Show Reserve

According to the park's website, the enclosure covers 28 ha, of which the bison have 20 ha, including 0.5 ha of a show zone viewed from platforms behind a fence. Wild boar, white-tailed eagles, deer and roe deer also live here, and wolves live in a separate enclosure. There are benches, tables, a shelter, viewing platforms and toilets, and the walk along the green trail from the centre of Międzyzdroje takes about 30 minutes (about 1.5 km). Details are given in Bison Show Reserve.

Natural History Museum

The museum has five exhibition rooms with a total area of about 900 m². According to the park's website, it presents non-forest and aquatic ecosystems (a white-tailed eagle with its prey, ruffs in breeding plumage, seals on the shore), the island's forest animals, a geological and ethnographic exhibition, and an educational kiosk with a game for children. More about the exhibition: Natural History Museum of Wolin National Park. According to the Wikipedia entry, an information point of the park operates at the former V3 launch sites in Zalesie.

Trails

The walking trails are the Coastal Trail (Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Kołczewo), the Trail along the Baltic and the Szczecin Lagoon (Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Wolin), the Forest Trail through the Warnowo-Kołczewo Lakeland, the trail to Kawcza Góra and the Warnowo connecting trail. There are also the nature trails “Zatorek” and “Łuniewo” and cycling routes: the international R-10 around the Baltic and R-66 around the Szczecin Lagoon, and the route “Through the Warnowo-Żółwino Forests”. Kikut Lighthouse stands by the coastal trail.

Practical information

• The park's contact address according to its website: Grodno 1, 72-500 Międzyzdroje.
• Natural History Museum: according to the park's website, open daily except Sundays and Mondays. From 1 May to 30 September from 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), from 1 October to 30 April from 8:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30). Check the current hours before your visit.
• Museum accessibility: according to the park's website, it is accessible to people with disabilities and families with pushchairs; from the street you enter through the main gate, and the ramp is about 30 m to the left of the steps.
• The hours of the Bison Show Reserve are given on the park's website (wopn.gov.pl), on its own subpage.
• Guided tours: the park has its own tour offer on its website.