LOCATION
Woliński National Park is located in the north-west of the country (West Pomeranian Voivodeship), on the island of Wolin. The park is situated between Pomeranian Bay and Szczecin Lagoon, close to the Polish-German border, 53°57′15″N 14°29′20″E.
Woliński NP was the first marine park in Poland, established in 1960. At present the total area of the Park is 10937ha. The most characteristic elements of landscape are the cliffs, a number of lakes (Czajcze, Domysławskie, Warnowskie) and forests full of beeches, pines, oaks and other trees. Its landscape includes over-one-hundred-metres-high hills (the highest of them – Grzywacz – at 116 metres a.s.l.) and the highest cliff shore in Poland with precipices reaching 95 metres. In the middle of the island there are nine lakes; in the south there are swamps, and the shore of the Baltic Sea offers appealing beaches and lidos. The most famous one is located in the Międzyzdroje health resort. Wolin is dissected by a number of bicycle trails. Visitors can observe more than 200 species of birds (an aquatic warbler, a dunlin, a white-tailed sea eagle and red-breasted flycatcher). The park has been added to the European Network Natura 2000.
ATTRACTIONS
Woliński National Park is famous for tourist walking trails. On the “red trail” you can come across the most beautiful horseshoe-shaped Lake Czajcze. Another frequently visited tourist attraction located in the middle of the park, on the “blue trail”, is the unusual Turquoise Lake, named after the color of its water. Hiking is considered to be the best way to explore nature in this park. All tourist walking trails in the park are over 50 kilometers long. Other attractions include: a European bison breeding centre, Zielonka hill, as well as observation points Gosań and Kawcza Góra. Another point of interest is the Centre of Slavs and Vikings, an early medieval archaeological heritage park in Wolin, where an international festival is organised at the end of July and beginning of August. It includes staged battles, handicraft workshops and performances by bands playing historical melodies. The event has gained European recognition.
