Kołobrzeg Lighthouse

Kołobrzeg Lighthouse (roughly "ko-WOB-zheg") is a 26-meter red-brick tower built on top of an 18th-century fort right at the harbor entrance of this Baltic spa town. It is one of the easiest things to do in Kołobrzeg: you walk straight off the seafront promenade, climb the stairs and get a sweeping view over the harbor, the mouth of the Parsęta River, the pier and miles of sandy beach. It also tells, in one compact building, the story of the town's fortress, its port and the end of World War II.

Where it is

Kołobrzeg lies on Poland's Baltic coast in West Pomerania, about 230 km northeast of Berlin. From Polish hubs it is a long trip: the nearest airport is Szczecin-Goleniów (about 100 km), and Gdańsk is roughly 250 km away by road. The town has a railway station with direct trains from several large Polish cities, and the lighthouse is around 2 km on foot from the station.

History: a fort, a war and a rebuilt tower

A navigation light first shone here in 1666, from a small turret on the harbor office, lit only when ships were expected. The base of today's lighthouse is Fort Ujście (German: Fort Münde), a round brick fort built in 1770–1774 to guard the harbor entrance and modernized in 1832–1836. A timber-framed pilot station with a 25 m tower stood on the fort from 1899, replaced in 1909 by a brick lighthouse.

In March 1945, during the battle for the German-held "Festung Kolberg", that lighthouse was blown up so it could not serve enemy artillery as a landmark; the fort itself was the last German position, evacuated on the night of March 17–18. Soviet soldiers then built the current brick tower on the fort's rotunda, finishing it in November 1945. For decades it also served as a Red Army memorial; a Soviet-era relief with a submachine gun and a hammer-and-sickle banner was removed from the facade in 2022, and the exterior was restored in 2023–2025.

What to see

• The viewing gallery: 108 steps lead up to the lantern level, with views of the 308 m east breakwater, the marina on Salt Island, the town center and the beach toward the pier.
• Fort Ujście: the three-story brick rotunda with its outer wall, once a storeroom, infantry quarters and gun platform.
• The "Lost at Sea" memorial at the foot of the fort, honoring local sailors and fishermen.
• A privately run mineral exhibition in the fort's cellars (separate tickets and hours).

The light flashes white every 3 seconds and is visible for 16 nautical miles (about 30 km).

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, if you are in Kołobrzeg anyway: plan 30–45 minutes. Combine it with a walk along the east breakwater and the seafront to the Poland's Wedding to the Sea Monument and the pier. The top is reached only by stairs (108 steps), so the tower is not wheelchair accessible.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Address: ul. Morska 1, 78-100 Kołobrzeg.
• October: daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; November 1 – January 31: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; February 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; longer hours in summer.
• Tickets: 15 PLN adults, 10 PLN reduced, family tickets 45–55 PLN, children under 5 free. Tickets are also sold online on the official site. Prices are in Polish złoty (PLN).

Getting there and nearby

Walk from the spa district along the promenade, or take a taxi to ul. Morska. Parking near the harbor is paid and scarce in summer. Nearby you will find the pier, the passenger port with seasonal boat trips, the Morast Redoubt in the marina and the leafy Żeromski Park.