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I came to Kołobrzeg to use a cure I can get for free – healing air.
I am on a promenade called Aleja Nadmorska (Seaside Avenue) looking at the sea which is splashing water and swishing, providing romantic sights and enabling easier breathing.
– This is what you call the climate therapy – says of the patients.
Kołobrzeg is the biggest Polish health resort by the open sea. There are over 30 well equipped sanatoriums and holiday centres, a wide, sandy beach, a pier, a health resort park with a large amphitheatre.
In short, the history of Kołobrzeg is as follows: first, there was salt, then a fortress, and now a health resort. A settlement of salt workers existed on the salt island already in the Middle Ages (7th century). The city became a fortress during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) when it was besieged by the Russians three times without success. Kołobrzeg became a famous health resort in the 19th century when the first brine bath facilities were opened here (1830). Half a century later the fortress was demolished (1872), and sanatoriums, boarding houses, parks and promenades were built. In 1911 the city was granted the status of a health resort.
However, the Kołobrzeg from the past century no longer exists. During the Second World War 90 per cent of it was destroyed. After hard battles, on 18 March 1945, a symbolic ceremony of Poland's Wedding to the Sea took place here.
The buildings that survived include: the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary (14th century), the neo-Gothic Town Hall resembling a knight castle (1832), a 15th century tenement where has its seat the Polish Army Weaponry Museum.
I look at the historic tenements in the Old Town. It is hard to believe that they were built (and not reconstructed) in the 1980s. In style, they refer to the past, but in fact they are the centre of modern life. At the ground floor and in the cellars you can find pubs, restaurants, cake shops, bars.
I look at the city panorama and the sea from the 26-metres-high lighthouse which towers over the Parsęta river mouth and the entry to the Port. In a moment I will board a ship to go for a short cruise in the sea. Tomorrow, I will visit the Danish Bornholm island or go cod fishing on a fishing cutter. The attractions available are numerous.
Kołobrzeg is also a former military base. Those who want to experience a man’s adventure, should visit the Bastion Military Attraction Centre. You can go on a ride in a tank, a SKOT armoured personnel carrier or an amphibian; you can also shoot guns and taste the army-style pea soup from a field kitchen.
Those who are not enthusiastic about military food will surely find a nice place to eat great fresh fish, and then a delicious dessert.
The best way to burn calories is to have a walk by the seaside. The sea breeze in Kołobrzeg not only helps to cure various health problems, but also puts you in a good mood.
www.kolobrzeg.pl
