Sobieszewo Island

Sobieszewo is an island because engineers made it one: after repeated catastrophic flooding, a straight artificial channel, the Przekop Wisly, was cut through the dunes in 1895 to take the Vistula directly to the sea, separating the ground east of Gdansk from the mainland and giving the river a controlled mouth. The result is an island of about thirty-five square kilometres with beaches, pine on dunes, and two nature reserves at either end - Ptasi Raj, bird paradise, on the western tip, and Mewia Lacha on the eastern, at the new river mouth. Both are on the Baltic flyway and hold large numbers of migrating and wintering birds; Mewia Lacha also has a substantial grey seal haul-out, one of the few regular ones on the Polish coast, and access there is restricted seasonally to protect breeding terns and the seals. It is within Gdansk and reachable by bus.

History

The village of Sobieszewo is first mentioned around 1400, with an inn at Bonensak, and for most of its history the land was part of a longer spit. A flood in 1840 partly cut it off by creating the Śmiała Wisła, and in 1890-1895 the Vistula Cut made it an island; it had 776 inhabitants in 1946 and became part of the city of Gdańsk in 1973 (Wikipedia, Sobieszewo Island).

What you'll find

• An island made in 1895 - a channel cut through the dunes to control the Vistula's mouth.
• Two flyway reserves - Ptasi Raj west and Mewia Lacha at the new river mouth.
• A grey seal haul-out - one of the few regular ones on the Polish coast.
• Inside a city - within Gdansk's boundary and reachable by bus.

When to go

April to June and September to October for migration. A day.

Practical notes

Reserve access is restricted seasonally for breeding terns and seals - respect the closures and keep well back from hauled-out seals. Summer brings beach crowds from Gdansk. Binoculars are essential. The island is flat and distances are longer than they look.

Nearby

Gdansk city centre is west; the Vistula Spit runs east.

Key facts