Lakes
a chalk-mine pit flooded in 1925, with emerald water in the Beech Forest
Parks and nature
173 ha of the Beech Forest with trails, viewpoints and a path to Emerald Lake (Jezioro Szmaragdowe)
Parks and nature
small floristic reserve in the Beech Forest, in the former Toepfer Park, protecting regenerating yews
Churches and monasteries
a neo-Gothic brick church from 1893 with an 1862 organ by Grüneberg
Hills and trails
hill on the spoil heap of a former chalk mine with a view of Szczecin and the Lower Oder Valley
Parks and nature
oak planted in 1821 by two Prussian brothers, west of Lake Szmaragdowe
Hills and trails
yellow walking trail around the lake, with two viewpoints over the city
Things to do in Zdroje, Szczecin: Emerald Lake, the Zdroje Forest Park, Academic Hill, a yew reserve and a family walking trail.
Zdroje is the green edge of Szczecin, already within the Beech Forest. Instead of urban monuments you get woodland, hills and a lake left by a former mine, plus several viewpoints. Most places are free and the area suits a whole day of walking.
The simplest is the yellow Family Trail, which circles the lake and has two viewpoints over Szczecin. It does not take long and is waymarked, so you do not need a map.
The Zdroje Forest Park is a beech wood of 173 hectares in the north-western part of the Beech Forest. The history of the wood is told in the article Zdroje Forest Park: yews from the former Toepfer park and the Prince's Oak. Other Szczecin parks are gathered in Szczecin parks: from Jasne Błonia to the Zdroje Forest Park. The page of parks and nature in Zdroje contains all three entries of this category.
Emerald Lake is an artificial lake in a former chalk-mine pit, flooded in 1925, with viewpoints nearby. How the lake came about is described in Emerald Lake: how in 1925 a chalk mine turned into a lake. A view over the city and the Oder valley is offered by Academic Hill, a rise on the spoil heap of the former mine, 51 metres above sea level.
Here nature counts, along with small traces of earlier years. Both objects are free and not far from the main paths.
The Zdroje nature reserve is a floristic reserve in the park that protects regenerating common yew. The Prince's Oak (Dąb Książęcy) is a natural monument, a tree planted on 31 May 1821 by Frederick William IV and his brother William I. In the housing estate stands the neo-Gothic Church of the Holy Spirit from the late 19th century, with an organ from 1862.
The Family Trail around the lake, Academic Hill and the Prince's Oak. A day's walk covers it all.
Yes, the trail is called a family one and the route around the lake is waymarked. Other forest paths in the park also suit families.
Almost all: six of the seven carry the free tag. The exception is the church.
To Międzyzdroje, covered in Międzyzdroje: from a fishing village to a resort with a pier, or to the islands, as in A weekend on the islands.
