Międzyzdroje Promenade

The seafront promenade is Międzyzdroje's drawing room: it runs along the beach, links the pier, the Avenue of Stars and the Spa Park, and since 1996 its main section has been called Promenada Gwiazd (Promenade of Stars). Resort villas began to rise here around 1900, and ever since it has been the town's grandest street – lively in the evenings, lined with café terraces and open to the sea.

History: from Strandpromenade to Promenade of Stars

Under German rule the walkway was called the Strandpromenade. After the war it formed part of streets named after Władysław IV, the Heroes of Stalingrad and the Heroes of Warsaw. In 1996, following the Summer Festival of Stars, a separate Promenada Gwiazd was carved out of Bohaterów Warszawy Street at the initiative of Waldemar Dąbrowski, who came up with the festival. In 2011 the central section was rebuilt, gaining fountains shaped like glass water curtains and pergola benches.

What to see

• Avenue of Stars – the work of sculptor Adam Myjak, with more than 200 handprints of Polish cultural figures; in 2005 the slabs were moved to a square beside the promenade. The first honourees in 1996 included Krystyna Janda, Janusz Gajos and Daniel Olbrychski.
• The pier – the first was built in 1884; today's 395 m structure is the longest concrete pier in Poland, entered between two white turrets.
• International House of Culture – a classicist building from the mid-19th century with an amphitheatre next door, followed by a wax museum and a planetarium with a seven-metre dome.
• Oceanarium with a 16-metre half-tunnel full of exotic fish.
• Amber Baltic Hotel – the town's oldest four-star hotel, opened in 1991.

The green side of the promenade

The "Międzyzdroje – Sea of Greenery" project created three promenade parks: Plac Gwiazd, the Activity Park and the Afternoon Park. Steps from the tourist information point lead down to the Fryderyk Chopin Spa Park – named after him since 1999 – with a granite fountain by Albina Adamska-Gwizdała and a bust of the composer. By the "Balbinka" stands Tolek, a flower peacock that symbolises the town's planting programme.

Did you know?

The promenade keeps evolving: in 2016–2018 internet users voted for a "Public's Idol" who received a plaque of their own, and in 2025 a monument to Irena Szewińska was unveiled beside it. The Festival of Stars was cancelled only in 2020–2021, during the pandemic.

Tripto tips

Allow 1.5–2 hours for a promenade stroll including the pier; the town's "Promenade Parks Trail" is about 3 km and takes around 50 minutes without stops. Summer evenings get crowded, so mornings are better for quiet photos. The beach starts right by the promenade, and the tourist information point is in a listed building on Promenada Gwiazd.