Former Maritime Rescue Station

The former maritime rescue station is a structure built in the late 19th century. It is a neo-Gothic building constructed of red brick. The station’s roof is made of slate, featuring a spire and Swiss-style roof truss elements. A large door, crafted by renowned blacksmiths, led into the station. In its heyday, the station housed horses in special harnessed carriages and metal lifeboats. When called into action, the rescuers were pulled by horses all the way to the sea. The weight of the boat pulled by the horses exceeded 900 kg. Typically, a patrol of twelve rescuers—rowers—would set out on a mission. Similar coastal rescue stations were located in other places along the Baltic Sea.

From 1950 onward, the Szczecin Maritime Office administered the building; at that time, it served as a utility facility and warehouse, and later as a garage for dune stabilization equipment. This use of the building contributed to its deterioration. The roof leaked, the windows and the turret on the building were damaged, and only stumps remained of the wooden interior decorations. It was only a few years ago that a private owner stepped forward and decided to restore the building to its former appearance. The restoration took 14 months, but the building was successfully restored to its former glory. An interesting fact is that the new owners did not have any historical documentation of the building. The final result was achieved thanks to a postcard purchased in Germany depicting the station building. It was the only clue to the station’s former appearance, and the architect used it as the basis for the building’s design.

Today, the building houses a restaurant run by passionate people. Its interior is adorned with paintings based on old photographs.