Stefan Żeromski Park in Kołobrzeg

Beneath the paths of this park above Kołobrzeg's beach there was once a military cemetery for the town's defenders of 1807, where columns from the medieval town hall served as gravestones for Joachim Nettelbeck and Ernst von Waldenfels. Stefan Żeromski Park runs along the shore through the whole Spa District, shelters the town from storm winds and serves a therapeutic role as part of the Kołobrzeg spa. It is the best walk in town when the wind on the promenade is too strong.

History: greenery on the dunes and a reluctant fortress

Supporters of a seaside resort began planting trees on the dunes as early as 1809, and the park was officially founded in 1853. Kołobrzeg (then Kolberg) was a Prussian fortress at the time, and its authorities were wary of bathing-resort development – the garrison command only allowed the coastal strip to be planted in 1863. From 1884 the Dune Promenade, today's Aleja Nadmorska, was built. The military cemetery and its town-hall-column gravestones were later removed; the whole site now lies within the park. Laid out as a landscape park, it has been a listed heritage site since 1976.

Two parts of the park

The heritage register lists two sections. The park by the Monument to Poland's Wedding to the Sea (about 5.9 ha) lies between ul. Obrońców Westerplatte, ul. Mickiewicza and the Jan Szymański boulevard, close to the lighthouse and the port. The seaside (spa) park (about 19.3 ha) stretches between ul. Rodziewiczówny and ul. Sikorskiego and the Aleja Nadmorska. The two are separated by the "Bałtyk" sanatorium, built on the site of the Strandschloss (Beach Castle) hotel and spa house, which operated from 1899 to 1945.

What to see

• The swamp cypress by the Kamienny Szaniec (Stone Redoubt) – a tree from the swamps of North America, a protected natural monument since 1992. In its homeland the species can live for 1,200 years.
• The fitness trail with exercise stations where you can test yourself.
• The concert shell and shady avenues of native broadleaved trees mixed with exotic species.
• The Monument to Poland's Wedding to the Sea at the western end of the park.

Tripto tip

The park is open 24 hours a day, free of charge, all year round. The paths are wide and mostly paved, so they suit pushchairs and Nordic walking. Walking the full length, from near the lighthouse to the Kamienny Szaniec, takes about an hour. The R10 cycle route passes through the park, but cycling is banned on some paths – watch the signs. The park lies in spa protection zone "A", and paid parking applies throughout the Spa District, so it is best to leave the car at your hotel.