A working fishing port and spa town at the mouth of the Słupia. The red-brick 1892 lighthouse, the swinging pedestrian bridge, the unfinished German breakwater that was meant to shield a great port and now serves anglers.
Ustka is a fishing port and a spa town at the mouth of the Słupia river on the Baltic, 20 minutes by car from Rowy on the road through Objazda. Three things are worth planning in advance: the brick lighthouse of 1892, which you can climb in season, the pedestrian swing bridge over the Słupia, which swings open regularly through the day to let the fishing cutters through, and Bunkry Blüchera, an underground museum open all year. By bike along the coastal trail through Dębina and Poddąbie the ride takes about 1.5 hours.
How to get to Ustka from Rowy
By car it is about 20 minutes on the road through Objazda. By bike along the coastal trail through Dębina and Poddąbie it takes about 1.5 hours each way. Ustka is the nearest larger town to our places in Rowy and the most common half-day trip from here.
The lighthouse in Ustka
The brick lighthouse dates from 1892, stands 19.5 metres tall and is open to visitors in season. It sits right at the harbour entrance, so from the top you take in the fishing cutters on the Słupia, the beach and the open Baltic all at once. It is the most recognisable landmark in town and the natural place for your first photo.
The pedestrian swing bridge over the Słupia
The bridge joins the two banks of the river in the centre of town, and it swings open regularly through the day to let the fishing cutters through, closing the crossing for as long as that takes. Cross it in good time, or be ready to wait up to 40 minutes. For children the bridge swinging round is often as much of an attraction as the lighthouse, so the wait is not always time lost.
The Blücher Bunkers: an underground museum open all year
Bunkry Blüchera, the Blücher Bunkers, is a coastal artillery battery from the 1930s that works today as an underground museum. Unlike the lighthouse it is open all year round, so it is a good option out of season, or on a day when the weather by the sea rules the beach out.
The old fishing settlement and the promenade of 1875
The old fishing settlement has survived in the block of streets around Marynarki Polskiej and Kosynierów, where narrow wooden houses are a reminder that before Ustka was a resort it was simply a harbour town. The promenade along the beach was built on the dunes in 1875 and still does its job today.
The harbour, boat trips and the unfinished breakwater
In season, ferries to Bornholm and excursion boats sail from the harbour. Beside the port stands an unfinished German breakwater that was meant to shelter a large harbour and today serves mainly anglers. The ambition behind it shows best from the shore, once you compare it with the size of the port as it is now.
