Zygmunt August Boulevard in Elbląg

From the riverside quay below Elbląg's Old Town you can sail in two directions: south onto the Elbląg Canal, where boats overcome almost 100 m of height difference by riding on rail carriages over dry land, or north across the Vistula Lagoon to Krynica Morska. Zygmunt August Boulevard is the best place to see Elbląg from the water, and right next to it, in the former castle outer bailey, a museum holds the oldest medieval spectacles found in Poland.

The town from the river

The boulevard runs along the Elbląg river beside the Old Town. The rebuilding of the old town has been going on for about 30 years in a style known as "retroversion": the new houses echo the old ones without being exact copies. From the quay you can see the Old Town skyline with the tower of St Nicholas' Cathedral, one of the tallest churches in Poland, and across the river Granary Island. Nearby is the High Bridge, destroyed by fire in July 1917 and rebuilt in 1926.

Archaeological and Historical Museum

At Bulwar Zygmunta Augusta 11 you will find the Archaeological and Historical Museum – one of the oldest museums in Poland and the oldest in Warmia and Masuria. It occupies the former castle outer bailey and grammar school. Highlights include:

• the oldest medieval spectacles in Poland, with a horn frame and green lenses,
• a Viking compass made of whalebone,
• a 15th-century gittern – an early guitar of which only two examples survive in all of Europe.

Permanent exhibitions such as "Truso – Legend of the Baltic" and "Elbląg Reconditus" reveal the town layer by layer: from before its charter, through the Viking-age trading settlement of Truso, to post-war reconstruction. The collections come from excavations carried out in the Old Town each season since 1980 – one of the largest urban areas in Europe to be investigated in this way.

Boat trips from Elbląg

According to the town's guide, two routes start from the quay by the boulevard. The first heads south across Lake Druzno to the Elbląg Canal and its boat lifts; it is run by Żegluga Ostródzko-Elbląska. The second goes north along the Elbląg river and through the Vistula delta plains to the Vistula Lagoon and Krynica Morska; in summer it is served by Żegluga Gdańska, passing the port, lift and swing bridges and the Elbląg Bay nature reserve with its white-tailed eagles and cormorants.

Tickets for canal cruises can be bought before departure at the Żegluga Ostródzko-Elbląska office at ul. Wodna 1b, right by the river, but in the summer holidays it is worth checking availability in advance at zegluga.com.pl. The cruises are seasonal, so check dates and prices before you travel.

Tripto tip

The boulevard is a public space, free and open around the clock. A walk takes 30–45 minutes, or about 2 hours with the museum. The town guide suggests a good order: first the museum by the boulevard, then the quay, then the Galeria EL art centre in a former 13th-century Dominican church. To see the old town from the other side, cross to Granary Island.