Swinoujscie Lighthouse

The lighthouse at Swinoujscie stands 64.8 metres, which makes it the tallest on the Baltic and one of the tallest brick lighthouses in the world. It was built between 1854 and 1857 on the eastern side of the Swina channel to guide shipping into the approach to Szczecin, and it has worked continuously since, apart from wartime interruptions. The tower is of yellow brick, left unpainted, with a spiral of just over three hundred steps to a gallery that looks over the channel, the dunes, the German island of Usedom to the west and the Baltic north. There is a small museum in the keeper's house beside it covering the light and the local maritime history. The town around it is itself unusual: Swinoujscie sits on more than forty islands, the centre is on Uznam which is otherwise German, and until the tunnel opened in 2023 the only link to the rest of Poland was a ferry.

History

The first lighthouse here was built in 1828, when the town was the Prussian Swinemünde, and the present tower dates from 1857; it was octagonal all the way up until repairs in 1902-1903 gave its upper part the present round form. It was restored for the millennium in 1998-2000 and reopened to the public in August 2000, with a lighthouse museum in the keeper's house (Wikipedia, Świnoujście Lighthouse).

What's there

• Sixty-five metres of brick - the tallest lighthouse on the Baltic, in yellow brick.
• Just over three hundred steps - a spiral stair to the gallery.
• A view across a border - the channel, the dunes, and German Usedom west.
• A museum beside it - in the keeper's house, on the light and local maritime history.

When to go

May to September. Two hours.

Before you go

The climb is over three hundred steps with no lift. The gallery is exposed and closes in high wind. Opening is seasonal. Getting around Swinoujscie means the tunnel or ferries.

Nearby

Wolin National Park and Miedzyzdroje are east.

Key facts