Libek Hill (Lubek) in Jastarnia

Góra Libek – officially Lubek – is a wooded dune between Kuźnica and Jastarnia on the Hel Peninsula. It rises a mere 12.5 m above sea level, yet it is the highest point on this stretch of the peninsula. Its name preserves the story of a shipwreck and a plundering that cost the leaseholder of Kuźnica his village. The nature trail from Kuźnica, returning along the beach, is one of the nicest short walks on Hel.

The name: a ship from Lübeck

The name comes from the ship "Lübeck", which ran aground and broke up here, probably in the first half of the 17th century. An inspection report of the Puck district from 1678 describes what happened next. From 1660 Kuźnica was leased by Wojciech Byzewski, who together with his son-in-law plundered the wrecked Lübeck ship and, according to the document, also killed people who had been saved from the storm. The matter was settled with the ship owners' representative – Byzewski handed him the rest of his lease. The new holder had to guard the shore, sell the lord's beer and vodka and pay 8 florins in rent a year.

What to see

• A former dune cliff – the Jastarnia municipality describes Libek as the highest sandy dune in the area and a remnant of a cliff that once rose above the beach.
• Black pines – a Mediterranean species that storm winds bend into one-sided, "flag-shaped" crowns.
• A protective embankment – built from rubble and concrete railway sleepers to shield the railway line and the houses of Kuźnica.
• An information board near the top, among the pines, with a view of the sea.
• Rybitwia Mielizna (Tern Shoal) – a shallow bank runs from the dune across the Bay of Puck to Rewa. It is so shallow that every year the "Herring March" walks across it from Kuźnica to the mainland.

For birdwatchers

The high shore near Kuźnica is a good spot for watching seabirds: you can see further from above, and the waves get in the way less. The wooden groynes are covered with mussels, which attract shoals of small fish – and ducks follow. Numbers peak in winter and spring: long-tailed ducks and eiders come close to the shore, while common and velvet scoters stay further out on deeper water. Bring binoculars or a telescope.

Getting there

The Jastarnia municipality has marked a nature trail from Kuźnica: 2.6 km along the blue trail, about 50 minutes to Libek, returning along the beach. It is mainly a walking route – for cyclists, as the municipality admits, it is fairly extreme. The blue "Coastal" trail runs along the whole peninsula from Władysławowo to Jurata (26 km).

Tripto tip

Make it a loop: through the forest to the dune and back to Kuźnica along the beach, which takes 1.5–2 hours. Entry is free and the area is open all year. Stay on the path, keep off the vegetated slopes and do not go near the edge of the steep shore. On the way, look around Kuźnica, the first holiday resort on the peninsula (since 1922), and in Jastarnia visit the fishermen's church with its boat-shaped pulpit.