Międzyzdroje Pier

The Międzyzdroje Pier is a reinforced-concrete jetty 395 m long, reaching from the beach on Wolin Island far into the Pomeranian Bay. It is the longest concrete pier in Poland and also a marine landing stage: excursion boats moor at its far end. A walk out and back takes a quarter of an hour, but most people linger – in the morning for the quiet and the view of the cliffs, in the evening for the sunset, in autumn for the storm waves.

History: a century of battling the sea

The first small wooden jetty was built here in 1884 and was the first of its kind in the region. Locals named it after Emperor Frederick III, partly in gratitude for his stay at the resort in 1867. A proper pier followed in 1906, funded by 250,000 marks donated by Councillor Bötker, and was ceremonially opened on 1 July 1906. The wooden structure was over 300 m long, with a glazed restaurant at its end.

The sea and the wars gave it no rest:

• in 1913 a storm destroyed a large part of the pier, and in 1914 sappers from Świnoujście blew it up for fear of a Russian landing,
• after rebuilding in 1920 it was only about 200 m long,
• in 1954 a storm wrecked almost the entire jetty, and in 1961 the Art Nouveau arcade leading onto it burned down,
• in 1985 wind and ice damaged the structure so badly that the pier was closed, and in 1989 it was dismantled – only the turrets were left standing.

A new pier on piles

Work on today's pier began in 1994. The first 120 m (17.5 m wide) opened in 1996. The structure rests on tubular piles 1.5 m in diameter and 32 m long. In 2004 the shipping company Adler-Schiffe extended the pier by 275 m, spending about EUR 2 million, and became its administrator for 40 years. The new section opened on 19 March 2005, and since June 2005 the pier has been an official marine landing stage. The last 75 m are set lower so that coastal excursion boats can moor, and the final 40 m form the passenger quay. The extension was built for cruises to Świnoujście and the German ports on Usedom.

What to see

The entrance is marked by two distinctive white turrets that survived the demolition of the old pier. Behind them begins a covered section with pavilions and cafés – the busiest part in summer. The further out you walk, the calmer it gets: from the end you can see the wide beach in both directions and the wooded hills of Wolin National Park. The light is best at sunset, and the waves are most dramatic during autumn storms.

Tripto tips

• Time: 20–30 minutes is enough for the walk; allow an hour with coffee and photos.
• Wind: it blows hard at the end of the pier even on a warm day, so bring a jacket.
• Cruises: check timetables and fares with the operators on site, as they change with the season.
• Getting there: the pier is in the middle of the beach, by the amphitheatre, at the end of the Bohaterów Warszawy promenade. The railway station is about 1.5 km away.
• Nearby: the Promenade of Stars with actors' handprints, the Oceanarium and, east of the centre, the cliff and Kawcza Góra in Wolin National Park.