Walking the shore, sailing the sea. About Wolin and the sister island of Usedom

I moved to the Baltic Sea from Silesia two and a half years ago, primarily for my love of the sea, but also for the unique nature of Wolin Island. I love walking along its shores, mainly along the beach from Dziwnow to Swinoujscie and back. I also decided to explore the island of Usedom and then Rügen. The sister islands of Wolin and Usedom are flanked to the south by the waters of the Pomeranian Bay and both are cut off from the mainland by straits where the water comes from the Oder River.

We will find similarities in the landscape of the two islands, but we will also be struck by differences. Wolin is more undulating. The highest cliff, Gosan, rises to 93.4 meters above sea level, while the highest mountain, Grzywacz, is 116 meters above sea level. The larger and flatter island of Usedom boasts the Streckelberg cliff at 58 meters above sea level, adjacent to the village of Koserow. The highest elevation is Golm Hill (69 m above sea level), which has a cemetery for World War II victims. It is an important memorial of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Numerous branches of the Pomeranian Bay penetrate deep into the mainland of Usedom Island. Sightseeing usually brings us to a sleepy German village, with old but renovated thatched cottages and at least some of the residents engaged in fishing. Along the way, we pass other farming villages, cultivated fields and grazing cows. If we want to enjoy the views from the highest cliff, we will probably also visit Koserow and walk along the beautiful wooden pier, which may be a symbol of the Germans’ approach to the development of coastal villages.

The new wooden construction harmonizes with the modest buildings hidden among the dunes. No one is trying to violate the space with tall, concrete apartment buildings. A similar policy is being pursued in the three towns closest to the Polish border: Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin. They retain the character given to them since the first half of the 19th century. On the Polish side, Swinoujscie and Miedzyzdroje had similar Art Nouveau buildings. What happened later in the former can be understood. The progressive urbanization of the port city forced far-reaching reconstruction.

However, it is difficult to pass indifferently to the changes that have occurred and continue to occur in Miedzyzdroje. Until relatively recently (1993), one could stroll along the wooden pier and through the streets with stylish, historic buildings, which are still present in Ahlbeck. Unfortunately, in Poland there is acquiescence to the erection of apartment buildings in any space ripped out of nature. New Miedzyzdroje is dominated by two developments: a scaled-down City Hall building, the so-called Belvedere, and an apartment building on the beach, next to the Wolin National Park itself.

Even weighing the words, it is difficult to avoid the term devastation, seeing what has happened in this resort! I managed to reach the statements of local officials on the subject: Well, sometimes decisions were made by our predecessors. Such words can be heard, but in general the direction of change is accepted both in the magistrate’s office and among residents.

I had the pleasure of attending a meeting with Prof. Jacek Tylkowski, Head of the Environmental Monitoring Station in Biala Gora, near Miedzyzdroje. I asked about investments on the beaches and dunes of Miedzyzdroje, but also of Miedzywodzie and Dziwnow. The professor replied that it is important to remember that one larger storm can wreak havoc, shifting the cliff by several meters. It should also be added that it’s not just a matter of a high wave, but also that during a storm the water level rises, so the wave pushes in from a higher level. Officials make decisions on an ad hoc basis, looking at budget revenues, and leave the problems to those who will manage later. Just who will pay compensation?

Another issue electrifying local public opinion is the planned construction of a container port in Swinoujscie, which is associated with further urbanization of the island and the possibility of a potential increase in pollution of the surrounding waters, e.g. as a result of an incoming ship crash. Such concerns are expressed by the current mayor of Swinoujscie, Joanna Agatowska, as well as by German local government officials from bordering Polish spas. What may be good for the Polish economy will not necessarily be so for local residents. I know similar situations from Upper Silesia all too well!

Sailing the sea

I, meanwhile, look at the sea from Grodno, Wiselka and Kolczewo. Here, for the time being, urbanization has not arrived, and it only takes these dozen kilometers for the water to become clearer, and the only sound left is the sound of the sea. Maybe you should try to swim from Heringsdorf to the Kikut lighthouse in Wisełka, hidden in the forest? Then I would walk home through the forest. The route by water would be less than 30 km, the walk would take an hour. The crossing would become a swim home.

If one wanted to cross the entire Pomeranian Bay, one would have to start from Cape Arkona on Rügen and land in Jaroslawiec. This is, however… 200 km! Swimmers may find the winkel, as the Germans say, the part of the bay cut in between the two countries, where the Swina River enters the Baltic Sea, attractive. From the pier in Heringsdorf you can see Międzyzdroje and Gosan – the bright rocks on the horizon resemble the cliffs of southern England.

I train throughout the summer, swimming along the shore from Swietouścia towards Wiselka. Usually 2 to 5 km, sometimes longer stretches. In stormy weather I move to Lake Recze, which is located in Kolczewo. I am ready for the swim test on September 1. I follow the weather apps to hit a slight tailwind or flare. Unfortunately, as if out of spite, the winds pick up and reach up to 28 knots, which causes a big swell in the bay.

Note that a wave coming from the northwest or east will bounce off the shore and return, causing interference that interferes with swimming. If the wind is blowing from the south, with a cliff shore, the waves are not perceptible to a swimmer sailing close to the surf line. The winds pass over the top. I finally decide to attempt the swim on September 12, with not the best weather. I’m afraid that in the second half of the month the water temperature will start to drop and the winds will increase, and I won’t have the opportunity to try my hand.

At 6 a.m. I board the yacht Falkor in Swinoujscie. I am accompanied by Captain Jacek Jasinski, my wife Sylwia, Pawel Stasiewicz and Martyna Jakubska, acting as lifeguard. We sail to the pier in Heringsdorf. At 7:17 I jump into the water and swim up to the very pier where I want to launch. The water in the initial stretch is unprecedentedly clear.

There are jellyfish swimming around, which line up on different floors. I see one a meter below me, another two meters below, and a third even deeper. Underwater cosmos. We initially took a course for White Mountain, but the southwest wind and current push me north, making me move very slowly. The current is created by the not-so-clean water flowing out of the Swina River. For the first two hours I cover only two nautical miles. The tide pushes my right arm off the track with each stroke, and morale drops a bit.

So we decide to turn to Miedzyzdroje, where I will land. The skipper doesn’t have that much time to sail on. He thought I would be faster. The whole route, following the curve, is only 21 km, but realistically I probably covered more, because I swam 8 hours and 48 minutes. The water temperature was 19°C throughout, the air was 8°C at the start, then 14°C, and 17°C at the finish. I swam in just swim trunks, cap and goggles, without touching the boat, non-stop. I was not cold. The conditions were not very good, but still the best, looking back two weeks. I swam through the fairway and anchorages on the way, but everything went smoothly. We asked one fishing boat to change course slightly because of my attempt.

From afar I could also see the gas port and the long concrete breakwater, beyond which the water quality began to improve somewhat. In Miedzyzdroje, the water became more turbid. I fed mainly on bananas thrown into the water and apple juice from a bidon on a string. Landing on the beach by the pier in Miedzyzdroje, I still had the strength to continue the crossing, but the late hour made it impossible to continue the adventure. On the shore I was greeted by the local swimming club Children of the Baltic and tourists. In the end, I am satisfied, because it is unclear whether such an attempt will be possible when the work on the planned container port in Swinoujscie begins. I’m glad that we managed to have a home swim at the end of the summer!

In the sea hope

Wolin Island and Swinoujscie on Usedom are changing rapidly, and we are facing challenges only recently recognized. Former Minister Marek Gróbarczyk had a plan to turn Wolin Island into a second Miami. But doesn’t this mean development of the construction industry? Will powerful hurricanes haunt our region in the future, as they have in Florida? I asked Prof. Jacek Tylkowski the question about the future of the coast and the Baltic on this occasion. Earlier I also listened to oceanographer Prof. Marcin Węsławski. Both specialists are reassuring. The rising water level of the world ocean can increase life-giving inflows of oxygenated water, and new species of flora and fauna do not threaten too much the Baltic ecosystems, which are very poor and leave niches for newcomers. And the truth is that nature itself will correct people’s long-range plans.

pic. main: scooter56 / pixabay