Wolinski National Park

Location, area, history

Wolinski National Park, established in 1960, protects a part of Poland's largest island - Wolin (Zachodniopomorskie Province). The unique qualities of the Park include the most beautiful section of the Polish cliff coast, well-preserved beech forests, the unique island delta of the Świna River, and a coastal strip of Baltic waters. Until 1996, the Park covered an area of 4691 hectares, at which time an opportunity arose to incorporate within its boundaries an area of 1 nautical mile of Baltic coastal waters, an archipelago of islands in the backward delta of the Świna River, together with the surrounding waters of the Szczecin Lagoon. Since then, Wolinski National Park has become the first marine park in Poland. Currently, the park's area is 10937 hectares, of which forest ecosystems occupy 4648.53 hectares (42.50% of the park's area), aquatic ecosystems 4681.41 hectares (42.80%), and non-forest onshore ecosystems 1607.46 hectares ( 14.70%). Strict protection was applied to areas with a total area of 498.72 hectares ( 4.56%)

Material culture and tourism

The turbulent history of Wolin Island has contributed to its cultural diversity, however, it has always been very strongly connected with the sea (fishing, trade, industry). In the park area (and the vicinity of its borders) there are remnants of fortified settlements and sites associated with settlements from historical times. In particular, there are numerous traces related to the times of the last war: trenches, bunkers, and the remains of the foundation of V-3 weapons in Wicko.

The vicinity of Wapnica is home to the remains of open-pit chalk mines (Turquoise Lake) and the ruins of a cement plant that processed the chalk. These sites are the subject of both scientific research and tourist interest. Tourism is an important part of the park's activities. The park has a well-developed infrastructure for tourist development: Education and Museum Center at the park's headquarters in Międzyzdroje, the European Bison show enclosure (about 1.5 km east of Międzyzdroje), 4 observation points, 3 parking areas, and a network of hiking trails and didactic paths (about 50km in total).

The most popular spots among tourists include the Turquoise Lake with its distinctive color of the water, the Bison Show Enclosure, and near Miedzyzdroje, the vantage points of Gosań and Kawcza Góra. Zielonka Hill near Lubin offers a picturesque view of the vast floodplains of the Świna delta and the Szczecin Lagoon. The biggest threats to the park's nature are the roads crossing its territory, the railroad connecting the harbor in Świnoujście with the rest of Poland, as well as power lines, and a gas pipeline. The park issues its own Klify magazine reporting the results of the park's own research and conservation studies.