It is on this mystery Island that the new heart of Szczecin is being born. Today’s Łasztownia is a completely different place to the closed port island from a while back. Once an isolated, mysterious space, today it is one of the favourite places for people going for walks, running, biking or fans of good coffee and international cuisine. Gradually renovated buildings of the old butcher’s complex, historic port cranes, new boulevards, cafés, restaurants, a yacht port and big events bring huge crowds to Łasztownia. It is here where you can find Euroregion Culture Center “Stara Rzeźnia”, the growing Marine Science Centre, and every day the Cranosauruses perform their illuminated dance. The number of attractions creating the atmosphere of this unique place is still growing. In the future we will see more investments and projects which will eventually be the implementation of the winning concept of the international competition for the island development vision. Walking on the Łasztownia wharfs, if you’re lucky enough, you will feel the aroma of chocolate, coming from the Gryf chocolate factory. After dark you’ll surely see the illumination of three historic cranes, nicknamed “Cranosauruses”. Don’t forget to take a picture with a marine sign “SZCZECIN”, located on the square at the end of Old Town Quay. This is also the place where you can best see the Old Town panorama, with the monumental buildings of Wały Chrobrego and the Ducal Castle. From Łasztownia, we go directly onto the neighbouring Grodzka Island, which attracts both children and adults with a beach, beach bar and events for families, kings of the dance floor and fans of open-air cinemas.

The much-lauded Museum of the Orient displays a rich collection of Asian artefacts, mainly from Macau but also from Japan, East Timor and India. The area dedicated to Chinese opera is just amazing with an incredible set of authentic Chinese masks and costumes.

Anyone entering Szczecin by bridges over the Oder River can see the towering red-brick gothic Cathedral and an elegant, pale silhouette of a Renaissance castle with green towers, which used to be the seat of the dukes of the Griffins dynasty who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania. The Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle has five wings and two courtyards. Acting as a cultural institution it organizes an array of cultural events: concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, conferences and meetings to popularize science, as well as to spread knowledge about the history of West Pomerania. The largest wing houses an Opera. In the wing that housed a mint in the olden days one can find today Cultural and Tourist Information Centre. There is a panoramic terrace on the rooftop of the northern wing from where splendid views can be appreciated. The wing’s basement houses a Vault with sarcophaguses of six princes. The Duke Boguslaw X hall, which used to be a princely chapel, is now a concert hall with a polychromatic ceiling decorated in Renaissance style. A 17th century astronomical clock is the Castle’s special tourist attraction. Also a room dedicated to Eilhard Lubinus and the Witches’ Cell are definitely worth a visit.

The Venice of the Alps has its own festival. Every year, between the end of February and the beginning of March, masked persons wander into the city and pose on the streets, parades are organised and costumes are displayed around the city and along the canals.