Willa Oliw

Willa Oliw and the area — a guide to the Dziwnów region

Dziwnów is a seaside town at the mouth of the river Dziwna on the Baltic — in the West Pomeranian Province, in the Kamień district, where the island of Wolin meets the mainland. The Dziwna is the easternmost of the three straits (with the Świna and the Peene) linking the Szczecin Lagoon to the sea; on its way it also forms the Kamień Lagoon. That gives Dziwnów water on three sides — the open Baltic to the north, the river and the harbours on the town side, and the lagoon to the south-east — and despite its small size (about 2,700 inhabitants) it is one of the more recognisable resorts on the western coast.

The town's calling card is the red steel bascule bridge over the Dziwna — opened in 2010 in place of an earlier pontoon crossing; it links the two parts of the district. In the summer season it is raised on even hours, opening a gap of a dozen or so metres for fishing cutters and yachts passing between the Baltic, the Dziwna and the Kamień Lagoon. Right beside it is an all-year yacht marina with a basin shaped like the letter "D" (a nod to the town's name), and beyond it a fishing harbour with cutters at their moorings and excursion boats going out to sea and across the lagoon — some of them dressed up as pirate ships, which delights children.

The bathing side of Dziwnów is a wide, pale, sandy beach separated from the town by a belt of dunes, with a lifeguarded stretch in season. A promenade runs along the crest of the dunes, and beside the quay and the promenade is the Avenue of Sporting Stars: a pavement with plaques and the handprints of Polish Olympic medallists, added to each year at a summer gala. The district is not just the town itself: it also takes in Dziwnówek, Międzywodzie and Łukęcin — smaller, quieter resorts with beaches of their own; Międzywodzie lies on a narrow strip of land between the sea and the Kamień Lagoon.

Dziwnów (before 1945 the German Dievenow) grew out of a fishing village which from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries took in its first summer visitors as a modest Baltic bathing place. After the war, for more than two decades (1964–1986), an airborne unit — the 1st Assault Battalion, the forerunner of Poland's modern special forces — was stationed here; there was a military airfield too. That tradition is recalled today by the annual Commando Festival with its displays. After the army left, the town turned to tourism — hence the marina, the promenade, the bascule bridge and the renovated quay.

The season at Dziwnów is typically Baltic — July and August are the peak, with the highest room prices and the biggest crowds, but June and September can be just as warm, cheaper and quieter. The water usually reaches 18–21°C in summer, and warmer in hot years. Getting there: by the regional road DW102 along the coast (Międzyzdroje – Międzywodzie – Dziwnów – Dziwnówek – Pobierowo – Trzęsacz – Rewal – Niechorze), about 1.5–2 hours from Szczecin; Kamień Pomorski is about 10 km away. By train you can reach Wolin Pomorski or Wysoka Kamieńska, then continue by bus or local transport; the nearest airport is Szczecin-Goleniów (about 70 km).

See the full guide to the Dziwnów region →