Poland's Wedding to the Sea Monument

The Poland's Wedding to the Sea Monument in Kołobrzeg (roughly "ko-WOB-zheg") is a bold modernist landmark in the seaside park between the lighthouse and the pier. Unveiled in 1963, it commemorates the symbolic "wedding" of Poland and the Baltic Sea performed here on March 18, 1945, at the end of the battle for the town. It is one of the best-known monuments on the Polish coast, and a quick, free stop on any walk along the Kołobrzeg seafront.

Where it is

Kołobrzeg is a Baltic spa town in West Pomerania, about 230 km northeast of Berlin; the nearest airport is Szczecin-Goleniów, roughly 100 km away. The monument stands on Bulwar Jana Szymańskiego, about 250 m east of the lighthouse.

What was the "wedding to the sea"?

Poland's first wedding to the sea took place in Puck in February 1920, when the country regained a short stretch of coast after World War I. In March 1945, as Polish troops fighting alongside the Red Army reached the Baltic, the ceremony was repeated at Dziwnówek, Mrzeżyno and Kołobrzeg. The German-held town, declared "Festung Kolberg", fell on March 18 after two weeks of heavy fighting that left the old town about 90% destroyed. That day Corporal Franciszek Niewidziajło threw a ring into the sea from the harbor's east breakwater. The scene became a founding image of postwar Poland on the Baltic. For the town's German inhabitants, the same events marked the end of German Kolberg and, soon after, their expulsion.

The monument

The idea dates to 1958, followed by a public fundraising drive and a design competition. The monument was first planned closer to the port, then moved about 300 m into the seaside park. It was unveiled on November 3, 1963, before a crowd of some 30,000 people, including Niewidziajło himself. It was designed by sculptor Wiktor Tołkin, known for memorials at the former Majdanek and Stutthof camps, with mosaics by Gdańsk artist Władysław Jackiewicz. A thorough restoration ran from fall 2024 to spring 2025.

What to look for

• A stylized flag soaring above a group of figures – the main element.
• The opening beneath the flag, meant as a "window on the world", i.e. access to the sea.
• Reliefs and mosaics inspired by prehistoric rock art, evoking a thousand years of Polish arms in Pomerania.
• Stone slabs at the base naming the units that fought for the town in 1945, and the coats of arms of Koszalin, Gdańsk, Szczecin and Kołobrzeg.

A local legend says that if you walk through the opening while holding your breath, a wish will come true. Another story tells of a sealed 1960s time capsule hidden somewhere beneath the monument.

Visiting tips

The monument is free and open 24/7 all year. Allow 10–15 minutes, ideally as part of a stroll from the lighthouse along the boulevard to the pier. Anniversary ceremonies are held each year on March 18. The inscriptions are in Polish.

Getting there and nearby

Walk from the spa district or the lighthouse; parking in the area is paid and limited in summer. Nearby you will find the lighthouse on Fort Ujście, the east breakwater where the ring was thrown, the pier, the beach and Żeromski Park.