TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The city of Jastarnia history

The city of Jastarnia is located in the central part of the Hel Peninsula – 13 kilometers from Hel and 22 kilometers from Władysławowo,

According to legend, the name Jastarnia comes from the pagan god Jastrzebog, who was worshiped at the beginning of spring by burning fires on the hills and dancing around his statue. A settlement was later to be built on one of such ceremonial hills. For centuries, the sea has been the basis of life and economy of the local inhabitants. They made their living from fishing, catching salmon, flounder and eels. At a time when seals were still common in the waters of the southern Baltic Sea, residents also hunted them. Few people know that the local people also caught crows in traps. They are caught during Lent. The local fishermen were organized in the so-called Maszoperia. These were family fishing associations. They took their names from family surnames. There were, for example, the following mashoperias: Boszkowa, Konkolowa, Pieprowa, Boszkowa, etc. This did not mean that, for example, there were only Konkols in the Konkolowa mashoperia. If the daughter, a girl from a mashop family, married anyone, whether from the peninsula or not, a fisherman or not, the young man had his own place in the mashop, „he could fish with the mashops, get his share”, i.e. a share of the caught fish . The catch was divided in such a way that it was impossible to cheat and, for example, allocate the better part for yourself. The fish were arranged in individual piles, there were as many piles as there were fishermen in the fishery. Blocks were made and everyone made a mark on the block, the so-called the mark and gave it to the eldest. He put them in the hat and started placing one block on each pile of fish. If there were no blocks, one of the fishermen would walk three or four meters away and turn his back. The oldest asked – Who is this? – And the other one answered with names. Part of the loot also went to widows, orphans, the sick, as well as to priests and teachers. There were several Maszoperii, each year each of them fished in a different water area, the so-called Toni. The fisheries exchanged depths to make it fair, as not every water body was an equally productive fishing ground. Fishing, organized on the principle of masoperia, began to decline when cutters appeared on the peninsula, adapted to deep-sea fishing. The emergence of state-owned enterprises after World War II put a complete end to machineries.

Hel Peninsula

The Hel Peninsula is a unique natural and landscape attraction in Poland.

It was created thanks to sea currents carrying sand washed from the seabed. The length of the Peninsula is approximately 34 km. It was created gradually, first as a shoal that formed small islands that would eventually connect and create this narrow strip of sand today called Helska Kosa, Gęsia Szyja or simply the Hel Peninsula. Clean beaches, microclimate, fishing towns frozen in time with low houses with red roofs, narrow streets lined with hawthorn trees – these are the unique colors of „Reboki”. Whoever comes here once will always come back here. From the north, the shore of the peninsula is level, there is a dune ridge and beautiful, wide beaches with fine white sand.
The climate of the Peninsula is also interesting – small temperature ranges, low rainfall, the largest number of sunny days in Poland and at the same time windy – an ideal and dream place for windsurfing, sailing and other water sports. The immense natural wealth of the Peninsula includes numerous species of birds: cormorants, grebes, sandpipers, lapwings, petrels, gulls, terns and many others. The surrounding waters are inhabited by sea fish (flounder, herring, sprat, cod, salmon, sea trout) and freshwater fish (pike, roach, perch). Gray seals, white-nosed dolphins and porpoises also visit the bay. Since 1978 Due to its specific location and microclimate, the peninsula belongs to the Seaside Park

Hel Fisheries Museum

The oldest building in Hel from the 15th century, where the Evangelical Church was located years ago, and today is the seat of a museum.

The front part is crowned with a low wooden tower. which serves as a viewing area. It offers a beautiful panorama of the city, port and beach from the Bay of Puck. The building suffered a fire in its history, later rebuilt and served as a lighthouse. In the 18th century, strong storms and rough sea waves washed the church heavily, which led to the building and the tower partially sliding into the sea. There are rich collections illustrating the history of fishing. The museum’s exhibition includes, among others: fishing boats, fishing equipment, models of Polish fishing vessels and paintings on the subject of fishing in Polish painting.

Address; Hel ul. Bulwar Nadmorski 2 tel. +48 58 675 05 52 www.kaszubia.com/pl/adresy/muzea/hel.html

Mechow Caves

Mechowskie Grottoes are the smallest underground tourist route in Poland,

The tour takes a few minutes, but it is the only cave of this type in the entire European Plain. Discovered accidentally in 1818, it was buried and exposed several times. Currently, the cave is open to visitors. Only a small part of the cave near the opening is open to tourists, because the remaining part is very difficult to access (requires crawling). The cave was created within a moraine hill as a result of washing out sand from between sedimentary rocks cemented with calcium carbonate and therefore more resistant to erosion, resulting in the formation of picturesque pillars supporting the vault at both entrances to the cave. A low corridor, several dozen meters long, runs deep into the hill. There are dripstone forms: stalactites and glazes, partly colored red due to the presence of iron compounds dissolved in water.

Hel sealarium

Nice seals are waiting for tourists.

These mammals live in a pool located at the Marine Station of the Institute of Oceanography of the University of Gdańsk, near the Nadmorski Boulevard. The center has existed since 1999, although activities to protect seals were initiated when the first resident, Balbin, appeared. It happened in 1992, when a young male gray seal was found on the beach in Jurata. The research and breeding station creates an opportunity for seals to repopulate the southern part of the Baltic Sea in the future. The cured seals are released into the wild, as are the offspring of our breeding herd. All this so that gray seals can live as before in the entire sea, and by fulfilling the positive role of a predator, they can be a test for humans of the quality of the marine ecosystem, including fish. The most interesting time to visit the Seal Center is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to feed the seals. Current opening hours of the Seal Center: www.fokarium.pl/wazneinf.htm

Address; Hel ul. Morska 2 tel. + 48 58 675 08 36 /access 11km by car/ www.fokarium.pl

Sea fishing

The Passat VII yacht is a unit adapted for year-round sea fishing.

Sail with us to distant fishing spots. We guarantee catches of great fish. In the summer, we offer recreational cruises with the possibility of fishing with the fishing equipment included in the yacht’s equipment. We invite individual anglers, professionals, amateurs, tourists, as well as organized and social groups. During the cruise, each participant of the „big fish” expedition can warm up and eat in one of two cabins on board. Depending on the weather conditions and the guests’ appetites, upon request, the ship’s cook can prepare a meal from caught fish.

Port Jastarnia

A picturesque place in Jastarnia is the fishing port built in 1928.

In the eastern part there is a sports sailing center and a diving base, the western part is used by fishing boats and cutters as well as coastal ships. When booking holiday accommodation in Jastarnia with Meteora, it is worth knowing that in addition to visiting the city and the port, it is possible to go on a cruise on the Baltic Sea. From the port you can go on a trip around the so-called bay. Pomerankas. Pomeranki are old traditional Kashubian boats. You can rent various types of water equipment: kayaks, pedal boats, scooters, windsurfing boards. The entrance to the port is on the south side. The width of the entrance is 60 m, the depth at the entrance and the approach track is 5 m. The approach track is 1000 m long and marked with a light on the wing and 3 pairs of non-luminous buoys. In the north-western part of the port there is a cutter lift and a mechanical workshop. The port is administered by the Maritime Office in Gdynia. Vessels with a draft of up to 3.5 m can enter here.

Water tram

In the summer, we encourage our guests to use a convenient and attractive form of visiting the Tricity. The water tram leaves from the port of Jastarnia and goes to the port of Gdynia, the Pier in Sopot and the port of Gdańsk. Thanks to this, you can visit such interesting places during a one-day trip as; Kościuszko Square and the Boulevard in Gdynia, the Sopot Resort with the charming „Monciak” and „Łazienki” and the beautiful Old Town in Gdańsk. For families with children, we can recommend a trip to the Oliwa Zoo in Gdańsk. An attractive religious building is the Oliwa Cathedral with the famous organ from the 17th century.

Hel lighthouse

Ships sailing from the west to Gdańsk bypassed the 30 km long route. Hel Peninsula.

It became necessary to build a lighthouse in this place. The first navigation light appeared in the 17th century and was located in the tower of an old church. Around 1638, the first wooden lantern with a coal fire was built, operating from autumn to spring, then the lantern burned down and was rebuilt again with a structure similar to a well crane, at the end of which a cauldron or an iron basket with a fire for tar or coal was suspended. Often destroyed by storms and rebuilt, the lighthouse began construction of a round brick tower in 1806. At the beginning of World War II, it was blown up by Polish soldiers, and then in 1942 the local Kashubians built an octagonal tower made of burnt dark red brick, narrowing towards the top, with a gallery under a conical roof, the tower’s height is 41.5 m. The light source is a 1000W bulb which, if it burns out, rotates automatically and is replaced by a spare bulb, visible light from 33km away.

The lighthouse is available to tourists

Military Attractions

Jastarnia fortifications from 1939 Three combat shelters codenamed „SOKÓŁ”, „SABAŁA”, and „SĘP” – the remains of fortifications that divided the Hel Peninsula (between Jastarnia and Kuźnica) across, thus closing access to the peninsula from the land side. Address ; Jastarnia /2 km from the hotel towards Kuźnica – bicycle or walking trip/ In 2009 the shelters can be visited 25/04-10/05 and 15/06-15/09 www.jastarnia.to.jest.to/01/schrony/index.htm Hel Coast Defense Museum. This was the location of the Schleswig-Holstein shore battery. This monstrous 406mm battery from 1940, the largest of the world’s shore batteries in terms of caliber (the larger caliber…

Cycle paths

The bicycle path runs from Hel through Jurata, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Chałupy to Władysławowo and then to Puck. The Pomeranian coast has excellent conditions for cycling. Beautiful views, varied terrain and numerous bicycle rentals are just some of the advantages of this region that should convince cyclists to come to the seaside. Of course, at the Spa House you can buy a set of bicycles for the whole family and set off on a route leading to the fortifications from 1939. /turn right at the hotel into the avenue straight ahead for 3 km. through the forest, we will reach bunkers, one in the forest, the other on the beach/ Bicycle path towards Władysławowo 23 km. it is located on the side of the Bay of Puck /in the photo/, flat with numerous viewpoints and taverns. The direction of Hel along the Jurata road leads through a forest with small hills for 11 km.