A new national park is being created in the Lower Odra Valley – the first in Poland in over 20 years!

Lower Odra Valley

Councilors of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Assembly voted yesterday in favor of establishing a new, 24th national park in Poland. This is an important decision in the context of protecting the country’s second-largest river. According to the initiators, the Lower Odra Valley National Park is intended to support the development of sustainable tourism and enable coherent management of a nature-valuable area.

Lower Odra Valley National Park on the map of Poland

The new park is to be established in the Międzyodrze area, within the bifurcation of the Odra River into its eastern and western branches, directly adjacent to the German national park Nationalpark Unteres Odertal. It will cover areas belonging to four municipalities: Kołbaskowo, Widuchowa, Szczecin, and Gryfino. The Eastern and Western Odra rivers have not been included in the protected area to maintain freedom of inland navigation and fishing.

The initiators assure that the park’s location will not limit residential and investment development in any of the four municipalities, nor will it interfere with the construction of the container port in Świnoujście. The Lower Odra Valley National Park will allow fishing and agricultural activity, but will eliminate hunting (with the exception of permissible control of invasive species). The costs of its creation will be fully covered by the state budget.

Why do we need a new park?

The Odra River came into the spotlight in 2022 due to an ecological disaster caused by the toxic bloom of golden algae. It then became clear that the river needs active protection to preserve its unique natural values. And those are truly impressive!

In this still-wild land of valuable peat bogs, floodplains, canals, and oxbow lakes, 129 bird species nest – including the ferruginous duck, garganey, black tern, redshank, and corncrake. Over 100 other bird species stop here annually to feed – in the fall, among them are tens of thousands of cranes and geese.

The Lower Odra Valley National Park is home to otters, beavers, rare bat species, and recently, also wolves. Naturalists have also counted 90 species of aquatic invertebrates, 38 species of fish, and at least 460 species of plants, including such rarities as floating watermoss and fringed water lily.

Establishing a national park is not only the most effective legal form of protecting the riverside nature but also a development concept for the area. The Lower Odra Valley will gain access to EU funds, while trails and educational paths will attract tourists and strengthen environmental awareness.

A long battle to create the park

Creating a new national park is not easy. The first meeting of supporters of the idea took place in February 2023 in Chojna. A year later, a task force for developing the concept was established at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the draft law was published in November 2024. The last six months were marked by meetings, debates, consultations, and votes that weren’t always predictable.

On March 25 of this year, the Lower Odra Valley National Park gained the support of Szczecin city councilors, and in April, the project was also overwhelmingly approved in Kołbaskowo, Widuchowa, and the Police County. This past Wednesday, after months of openly voiced doubts, Gryfino also joined the group of supporters. The crowning of local government-level decisions was yesterday’s successful vote in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Assembly.

The final decision to establish the 24th national park in Poland will be made by the Sejm. This will provide the Lower Odra Valley with the necessary environmental protection and, at the same time, a significant development impulse. It will also become another place to actively enjoy nature in the spirit of responsible and sustainable tourism.


main photo credit: Phil Robson/Unsplash

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