Szczecin

A port city on the Oder, with the grand Pomeranian Dukes' Castle and Chrobry Embankments and a strikingly designed Philharmonic Hall; to the north lie Wolin National Park and the seaside.

Szczecin (German: Stettin) is the capital of West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. It sits on the lower Oder, about 65 km from the Baltic Sea and only about 130 km from Berlin, and is one of Poland's most important port cities. For centuries it was the seat of the Dukes of Pomerania, later passing to Sweden, Prussia and Germany before becoming part of Poland in 1945, so the city combines Hanseatic Gothic, Prussian Baroque and a 19th-century street plan of Paris-style "star squares".

The main sights are on the west bank of the Oder: the Dukes' Castle, St. James's Cathedral, the Old Town Hall and the Loitz House in the Old Town, and to the north the Chrobry Embankments (National Museum, the provincial government building and a riverside terrace), with Baroque gates such as the Harbor Gate and the King's Gate in between. Modern landmarks include the Philharmonic Hall, winner of the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture, and the underground Przełomy Dialogue Center. The tourist office has painted a roughly 7 km "Red Line" walking route on the pavements, linking more than 40 sights; follow it for a day and you'll cover the highlights of the city center. In the north of the city are the Rose Garden, Kasprowicz Park and the Central Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Europe; 25 km south is the mysterious Crooked Forest. Around 60–70 km north is Wolin Island, with Wolin National Park and the seaside resorts of Międzyzdroje and Świnoujście, good for a day trip or an overnight stay.

Seasons: May–Sep is best, and Jun–Aug lets you combine the city with the Baltic beaches; a sailing festival is often held in early August. Winters are cold, but the museums and the Philharmonic are still worth a visit. Getting there: about 2 hours by train from Berlin and about 5 hours from Warsaw; Szczecin–Goleniów Airport has domestic and European flights. Trams make getting around the city easy. Allow 2–3 days. Poland uses the złoty, and cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Top sights

• Wały Chrobrego – A roughly 500-meter-long observation terrace above the Oder River. Three grand early 20th-century buildings and the river port's panorama m…
• Pomeranian Dukes' Castle – The Renaissance palace of the Griffin dynasty, the Dukes of Pomerania. You can climb the bell tower for views over the old town and the Ode…
• Szczecin Philharmonic – A white, sawtooth-shaped concert hall that resembles an iceberg. It won the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, and it…
• Cathedral Basilica of St. James – The largest Gothic church in Pomerania, whose 110-meter tower has an elevator to an observation deck overlooking the entire city.
• Dialogue Centre Przełomy – A branch of the National Museum, built beneath a square, whose exhibits trace Szczecin’s history from 1945 to 1989, and whose building won…
• Szczecin Underground Routes – World War II air-raid shelters beneath the train station, converted into a Cold War nuclear shelter, where guided tours explore the tunnels…
• National Museum in Szczecin – The main building on Chrobry Embankment, showcasing Baltic maritime history, Viking and Slavic archaeology, and an African ethnographic col…
• Old Town Hall & Hay Market – A medieval town hall of brick Gothic style with stepped gables, surrounded by rebuilt colorful gabled houses and open-air restaurants.
• Loitz House – A late Gothic mansion of the 16th-century banking family Loitz, known as the “Fuggers of the North.”
• Church of Sts. Peter and Paul – Said to be Szczecin’s oldest church, its exterior is decorated with dozens of terracotta heads and its wooden vaulted ceiling is unusually…
• Harbour Gate – A baroque city gate built in 1725 by a Prussian king, finely carved, and the focal point of the star-shaped square in the city center.
• King's Gate – An 18th-century Prussian baroque city gate decorated with sculptures of Heracles and trophies, with a café inside.
• Łasztownia & Odra Boulevards – Riverside promenades along both banks of the Oder and Łasztownia, an old port warehouse island, where bars, boat tours, and sailing festiva…
• Kasprowicz Park & Jasne Błonia – The city’s largest green lung in the north, with a grand lawn encircled by about 200 plane trees, a lakeside park, and purple crocuses in s…
• Rose Garden – A rose garden opened in 1928 with nearly a hundred varieties and some ten thousand roses, a favorite photo spot for locals when the flowers…
• Central Cemetery – One of Europe’s largest cemeteries, a park-style burial ground of about 170 hectares with a rhododendron avenue and memorials from many nat…
• Museum of Technology and Transport – A transport museum housed in a former tram depot, displaying vintage trams, cars, and motorcycles, as well as radios made in Szczecin.
• Emerald Lake – An emerald-green lake formed by water filling an old limestone quarry, surrounded by the Bukowa primeval forest, with a lakeside trail and…
• Crooked Forest – About 400 pine trees whose trunks bend sharply at roughly 90 degrees near the base, their origin still a mystery, making it one of Poland’s…

Where to eat

• Tkacka 7 Restaurant – Szczecin’s first restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide, with a seasonal menu and modern takes on Polish flavours.
• Pasztecik Snack Bar – A Szczecin pie institution since 1969, serving deep-fried pies with a bold red beetroot soup, with its 1970s décor pres…
• Spiżarnia Szczecińska (Szczecin Pantry) – A modern Polish restaurant beside the Royal Gate, popular for handmade dumplings and its house version of Szczecin fish…
• Karczma Pod Kogutem (The Rooster Tavern) – A rustic traditional Polish tavern with country-style décor and generous portions, known for its roast pork knuckle and…

Itineraries

• Szczecin & Wolin Coast – A short West Coast route from the port city of the Oder River to the cliffs of Wolin and the beaches of Świnoujście.