The Convivial Coast

Poland's coastline is one of the longest in Europe. The beaches are wide and sandy with no nasty pebbles. There's a lot of diversit, with alternating picturesque sometimes very high cliffs and broad, low-lying dunes. The coastal air has curative properties thanks to the stretches of sappy pine forest and the iodide it produces, which is why visitors come all year round to the numerous Baltic spa resorts. One of the most popular is Kolobrzeg, where you can also find salt-water springs (in use since the 7th century AD).

Every visitor will find something to interest him or her on the Baltic beaches. There are beaches with lifeguards, water slides, beach volleyball courts, and places to rent jet-skis, water-skis, canoes, sailboats and windsurfing equipment, as well as colourful seaside promenades with cosy little bars and fish restaurants. There are also wild, uninhabited corners where, in the early morning, the fortunate few will find real treasures - pieces of amber.

Sunrise over Baltic Sea Photo(C) Dariusz Zarod photoagency.com.pl

The picturesque ports and old lighthouses are open to visitors, and there are also long, wooden piers stretching out into the sea - the most famous, and one of the longest in Europe, is in Sopot.

Jewels straight from the Baltic

Amber has been prized for centuries. The trading route known as the Amber Road led from ancient Rome to the Baltic coast. Amber was believed to keep you young, beautiful, and healthy; carvings, amulets and jewellery were made from it, and it was effective in treating fevers, headaches, insomniaand stomach disorders.

Today we know that amber emits anions that are good for the human b ody. Amber paste or - even better - tincture made from alcohol and rough pieces of the mineral are used to treat rheumatic pains. Green, white, or gold amber stones are set in silver, making beautiful charms and jewellery, which is available in many parts of Poland, although, as you might expect, most readiily on the coast.

Amber is much older than the Baltic - it was formed ca. 40 million years ago. It is the sap of a little-known prehistoric conifer. It consists mainly of carbon (79%), but also oxygen, hydrogen and sulphur. When rubbed, it attracts pieces of paper and when dropped into brine it floats to the surface.

It's best to go looking for amber after a storm with strong a north-easterly wind, at four or five in the morning. The most valuable pieces amber are those containing embedded animals or plants.

Miedzyzdroje, Ustronie and Mielno, fashionable, lively resorts, await tourists on the Baltic coast. There are old cities and towns, such as Szczecin, Gdansk, Sopot, and Kamien Pomorski, and also small, charming villages, which have preserved their traditiional fishing industry.

There are two National Parks on the Polish coast worth visiting. The Wolin Park occupies Poland's largest island, Wolin. It protects the beautiful cliffy shoreline and the white-tailed sea eagles that live there. In the Slowinski National Park (on the UNESCO list of World Biosphere Reserves) you can see the largest shifting sand dunes in Central Europe; the highest of which go up to 40 m . Propelled by the wind, the sand forms long ripples, mounds, hillocks and rounded hollows. The most active dunes can travel up to 10 m a year. The region's main tourist centre is Leba, whose original site, dating back to the 13th century, was destroyed by storms and engulfed by sands in the 16th century. A new settlement had to be built. Leba makes a perfect starting-point for the exciting ramblers' walks across the sands.

Another special region is the Hel Peninsula. Water laps this narrow strip of land (on average 200 m wide) on both sides, which has given rise to two microclimates: the northern side, whichn is exposed to strong winds, is popular with windsurfers, while the bay on the southern side, screened by a line of dunes and forests, is calm and peaceful.

A holiday on the Polish coast may turn out to be a real marvel for adventure-seekers - here they can hire an aqualung and dive down to wrecks. Twenty-four have been found, and there are certainly others waiting to be discovered. Polferries (Polska Zegluga Baltycka) offer cruises on small ships based on Viking longships, boats from the time of Christopher Columbus, and modern catamarans. There are plenty of interesting tracks for walkers and also cyclists, and many places for horse-riding.

Source: www.poland.gov.pl