It moves but it doesn't have legs. This puzzle tourists are asked when they come here. The local people are smiling when tourists are looking for the answer. So, they go for a walk to the Slowinski National Park, where the there is the most precious thing there – moving…but legless sand dunes. The most active ones can move up to 10 metres per year!
Słowiński Park Narodowy, fot. materiały PROT
Sand dunes – the most famous attraction on Slowinski National Park, this is a unique world attraction, at the same time the biggest area in the Central – Eastern Europe, where You can find moving sand dunes. The older sand dunes are more grey and are covered by the plants. As we can read on the Slowinski National Park web site: the biggest area of the white moving sand dunes is around Lebska split and has around 500 hectares of sand. This area is getting bigger covering the Northern part of Lebsko Lake. Tourists can visit two moving sand dunes: Czolpinska and Lacka. Go and climb the top of it to admire almost a dessert near the sea view.
Slowinski National Park has a very specific location. On one side Baltic Sea on the other big lakes. First is Lebsko Lake with the area of 7000 hectares is the third biggest lake in Poland! Second lake is Gardno (2.5 hectares).Those lakes are shallow and covered by lake reeds. There are many swamps, wild meadows, beaches, forests with the heathers there, which cover 10% of the whole Park territory.
Słowiński National Park, photo: A. Demczak
On such marshy wet ground there are a lot of rare plans growing. For example moss, grass, algae (500 different kinds of them!) and mushrooms. There are really a lot of mushrooms here. Nut flora is not the only thing here,. Ornithologists observed over 250 different bird species, half of them are water and swamp birds. We can find sea gulls, ducks, grebes, common terns here. In the forests there are deer, roe-deer, moose, lizards, beavers, otters, rare kinds of butterflies and cockchafers.
Slowinski National Park has over 170 km of walking paths to offer. It is an ideal place for everybody, who prefers an active way of life around the nature. There are few walking paths: (foe example Old Leba – the sea shore – Lacka sand dune – Old Leba or Czolpino – beech – Czolpino lighthouse) and mails cycling path R10,which is registered in the international trail. There are also areas in the Park, where fisherman can practise their hobby. What is more, on Lupawa, Leba and Wieprza rivers You can do the canoeing. The water sports You can also organise at Gardno and Lebski Lakes. Nevertheless, ask the information office of Slowinski National Park before.
Planning the trip to Slowinski National Park go and visit the sea Lighthouses in Czolpino and Stilo close to Sasin. Smoldzino with the Rowokol Hill is an interesting village to visit, too. From its viewing tower there is an unforgettable view to the lakes, sea and the forests. It is a must to see Kluki village nearby, with its Slavic Village Museum. We can find old, traditional wooden huts, which will tell us more about the local way of living here.
Słowiński Park Narodowy, fot. Pomorskie Travel
Słowiński National Park, photo: Pomorskie Travel
Visiting the area go also to Rowy, Leba and Ustka. Those are summer resorts with beautiful beaches, promenades and piers, situated on the other side of the Slowinski National Park. Those who love history can go and visit Rabka with the Rocket Launcher Museum. It is the residue of the Nazi experimental rocket training ground. We can see some rockets and a bunker here.
Slowinski National Park is all the time changing without a human intervention. In 2016 the winds moved the sand and the old forest covered by the moving sand dunes thousands of years ago was revelled. Slowinski National Park was registered to UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
