They are called the “Polish Sahara“.
30-40 meters tall, they move at the rate of several meters per year, along with the direction of the sea winds. Their fine as flour sand delights with different colors at any time of the day – from white, through purple, orange and red to the brown that dominates in the evening. Moving dunes in the vicinity of the town of Łeba is a place not to be missed on your tour of the Polish Baltic coast. In recent years, especially in summer, their beauty attracts numerous tourists, but we have advice for you on how to enjoy the area (almost!) exclusively.
The naturally unique section of the coast is protected by the Słowiński National Park.
The landscape here was determined by sand carried by the sea, which cut off former bays with narrow strips of spits and turned them into coastal lakes full of fish and birds. The spits have been covered with a pine forest, with dense moss strewn between them. The sand, however, is constantly coming in and is fighting a fierce battle with the vegetation. It is under such circumstances that the majestic dunes in Łeba were created. The highest of them, Łącka Góra, rises more than 40 meters above the sea, constantly moving eastward in accordance with the direction of the wind!
The Baltic Sea is a thoroughly northern sea.
Its mighty white beaches stretch all along the Polish coast and are as beautiful in summer as at other times of the year. There are those who claim that it is in winter that the majesty of the sea waves is most impressive! The water temperature does not exceed 20 degrees Celsius in summer, but the spaces and colors of the water reward everything. A unique property of this sea is the high concentration of iodine in the air. Iodine is a precious element important for the health of the thyroid and respiratory system, found most often at the sea or salt graduation towers. The air over the Baltic Sea is much more saturated with iodine than over the Mediterranean – you will feel it as soon as you reach the shore.
Walking tour: Słowiński National Park
Walking time: about 4 hours
Słowiński National Park is an ideal destination for a day trip from Kashubia combined with sunbathing and sightseeing in the area. Most trips to the dunes begin in Łeba. From this resort, popular in summer, tourists are taken to the site by melexes – popular electric microcars. An alternative starting point for the trail is a quiet parking lot in the village of Czołpino, in the central part of the park. Traffic is much lighter there, and the scenery is just as beautiful as in the area of Łeba. There you will find a characteristic brick building where lighthouse keepers lived long ago.
The red trail leads through the forest toward Czołpinska Dune – according to many, the most beautiful in the park. From the top there are wide views of the sea, the huge Lake Łebsko and the sandy spit separating the two bodies of water.
The trail descends from the dune and after about 1 kilometer reaches the seashore. From there we head left along the beach. A stop for sunbathing and a short swim strongly advised! After about 2 kilometers we come to the exit of the blue trail. We head into the forest, towards the Czołpino lighthouse, located on a hill. This is the most remote lighthouse in Poland from human settlements. During the season, the building can be visited inside by climbing up to the viewing terrace.
Return to Czołpino via the blue trail.
On the way back to Kashubia, it is worth stopping by the old village of Kluki, where there is a picturesque open-air museum – the Słowiński Village Museum.
The Słowińcy are a small ethnic group that had inhabited the area for centuries, earning their living as fishermen. For centuries it was subjected to Germanization, and after World War II it was persecuted by the communist Polish authorities as part of a program to unify the country’s ethnic structure.
Most left in the 1970s for Germany, and the original language of the Slavs, a dialect of Kashubian, has completely disappeared. In the open-air museum you will find beautiful thatched cottages of the Slavs built in the half-timbered style. Between them stretch old nets on wooden tacks. Time in the open-air museum has come to a complete standstill – just like the culture of the mysterious people who once inhabited these houses.
Website of the Słowiński National Park
EXPLORE THE REGION – KASCHUBIA
Wilder Strand in Czołpino, blauen Wanderweg
Dunes in Łeba
SIEHE ANDERE ATTRAKTIONEN IN DER GLEICHEN KATEGORIE
Windsurfing and kitesurfing on the Hel Peninsula
seeSailing in Kashubia
seeKashubian Switzerland
seeKashubia by bike
see