Kawcza Góra in Międzyzdroje

Kawcza Góra (roughly "KAHF-chah GOO-rah") is a beech-covered hill in Międzyzdroje ("myen-dzih-ZDROY-eh"), a seaside resort on Poland's Baltic coast, with a viewpoint perched above a sea cliff. It rises 61 m (200 ft) above the Pomeranian Bay at the edge of Wolin National Park, only about 600 m from the town. It is one of the easiest things to do in Międzyzdroje if you want to swap the beach promenade for forest trails and a sweeping coastal view.

Where is Kawcza Góra?

Międzyzdroje sits on Wolin Island in the far northwest of Poland, close to the German border. The nearest large Polish city is Szczecin, about 100 km to the south, and the resort has its own train station on the line between Szczecin and Świnoujście. Many visitors also come from Germany via Usedom Island, as Świnoujście lies just next door. The hill belongs to the Wolin Range, glacial moraine hills that meet the sea in steep cliffs.

A hill once named after coffee

Before 1945 the area was German, and the hill was called the Kaffee-Berg ("Coffee Hill"). The name came from a wooden café run by Werner Hahn on the summit, with viewing terraces where guests drank coffee above the sea; it closed because of World War II. In 1949 the Polish authorities officially renamed the hill Kawcza.

At the top today you'll find a wooden shelter and two memorial boulders: one for a German foresters' meeting in 1892, the other for a Polish Forestry Society congress in 1992. A stone obelisk also honors veterans of the Polish Home Army from the former eastern borderlands.

How to get to the viewpoint

There are two ways up:

• From town: walk to the eastern end of the promenade and pass through the park gate, which is shaped like the bow of a fishing boat. Both the black trail (toward Biała Góra and Kwasowo) and the red "Along the Baltic" trail climb through beech forest. The park says the red trail section from the gate to the viewpoint is about 1.5 km (1 mile).
• From the beach: climb the wooden staircase of 287 steps, 128.5 m long, which gains roughly 50 m in height. It was closed for several years after storm damage and reopened after repairs in April 2024.

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for a relaxed round trip from town, including time at the top. The viewpoint itself sits on the slope just below the summit, at about 57 m, and looks out over the Pomeranian Bay, the beach and pier of Międzyzdroje and, on clear days, toward Świnoujście and the German resort of Heringsdorf.

Tickets and practical tips

The hill lies inside Wolin National Park, and you need a park ticket to use its trails. Prices as of October 2026 (in Polish złoty, PLN):

• one-day ticket PLN 11, reduced PLN 5.50
• family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) PLN 27
• weekend ticket PLN 28, weekly ticket PLN 64

Children under 7 enter free. Buy tickets online on the park's website, from machines at the trail entrances, or at the park's Natural History Museum. There is no parking at the hill itself, so use one of the paid lots in Międzyzdroje or the forest parking area at Kwasowo on the black trail. The stairs can be slippery after rain and are sometimes closed after storms, so check park notices before you go. The trail has steps and roots, so it isn't suitable for strollers or wheelchairs.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you are staying in Międzyzdroje: it takes little time and rewards you with one of the best views on this stretch of coast. History fans can continue along the black trail to Biała Góra, about 0.5 km northeast, where a German naval artillery school operated before 1945 and concrete remains still lie in the woods. Nature lovers can head on to the park's European bison enclosure or follow the red trail along the cliffs toward Gosań and the Kikut lighthouse.