Piastowski Boulevard in Szczecin

Before 1945 it was the main riverside street of the Old Town, where cargo was unloaded from ships. Today Piastowski Boulevard (Bulwar Piastowski), also known as the Sailors' Avenue (Aleja Żeglarzy), is the lower level of Szczecin's Oder waterfront: a promenade facing Łasztownia island, with statues of famous yacht captains, a bronze sailor cat and a stone chronicle of maritime Szczecin set into the retaining wall.

A city that turned away from its river

After the war, when about 80% of the Old Town lay in ruins, it was rebuilt following the vision of Piotr Zaremba, the first Polish mayor of Szczecin. A wide traffic artery (today Nabrzeże Wieleckie) was laid above the old quay, and the ground beneath it was raised by about 2 metres with rubble. The historic boulevard remained on the lower level as a loading and walking quay. The decision is still debated, as architects argue that it cut the city off from the river. Since 2021 a pedestrian crossing at the end of Opłotki Street has linked the upper road with the boulevard.

The Maritime Chronicle of Szczecin

The boulevard's most interesting feature is easy to miss because it is built into the wall. The Maritime Chronicle of Szczecin is a frieze of several dozen reliefs and plaques by sculptor Sławomir Lewiński, running from the Long Bridge (Most Długi) towards the Castle Route flyover. It honours shipyard workers, sailors, dockers and fishermen as well as ships built in Szczecin, and was unveiled on 22 June 1968 for the annual Sea Days. Look for the slabs dedicated to ships named after people – one shows the head of shipbuilder Henryk Jendza beside the outline of the vessel named after him and the date its flag was raised.

Sailors' Avenue

Since 2015 lifelike sculptures by Paweł Szatkowski have been placed along the boulevard:

• Captain Ludomir Mączka (2015), who sailed around the world on the yacht "Maria" between 1973 and 1984,
• Captain Kazimierz Haska (2016), the second monument on the avenue,
• Umbriaga the cat (2018), a ginger tom from the AZS sailing club on Lake Dąbie who sailed with local yachtsmen in the 1940s and vanished in the early 1950s. The unveiling was staged as "the cat's return from a round-the-world voyage".

Tripto tip

The boulevard is free and open around the clock. Allow about an hour for a relaxed walk with the chronicle and the statues. The reliefs read best in side light, in the morning or late afternoon. The quay offers a good view of Łasztownia and the Maritime Science Centre, and the walk can be extended to the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle, the Chrobry Embankment (Wały Chrobrego) and the illuminated harbour cranes known as the Dźwigozaury. In summer excursion boats moor here, but timetables depend on the operators. During events, works or high water some sections may be closed.