Old Railway Trail - Koszalin Link - Stage I [Mielno - Białogard]

Stage IA: Mielno - Koszalin - Białogard [46 km]

A second option to start this trail is Mielno, next to the walrus monument on the Friendship Promenade. An almost 2 km long boardwalk was created in 1908 to protect the coast from the waves of the Baltic Sea. Today the promenade is so popular that there is hardly a chance to ride it by bike in the high season. Mielno is one of the most popular towns on the Polish seaside, and it enjoys a fame of a great place to party. The resort is peaceful and quiet in winter, except for one particular event. Ice Swimmers Conventions have been held here since 2004. They have set a Guinness record for the largest polar bear dip. The biggest event so far took place in 2018, when 3,212 people happily ran into the cold waters together. The Walrus Monument at the main entrance to the beach is a symbol of these events. If you are here in summer, we recommend following Kościuszki Street and then along the road.

The route runs along separate bicycle routes to Koszalin, the biggest city in the area. The entire area of ​​the Old Town is protected as a historical monument, despite suffering significantly during the war. However, while we can also find great examples of Gothic in other places in Pomerania, Koszalin has something that you will not find anywhere else in the world. Have you heard about the Jamno culture?

The villages of Jamno and Łabusz, cut off from the world by extensive marshes, for centuries were an isolated enclave in which the original culture flourished, created from a mixture of Slavic, German, Dutch and Frisian elements. Only in winter or arid summers could the villagers enter the outer world. The end of isolation came with the construction of the road in the 19th century, but the Jamno culture disappeared for good along with the local people who were forced to move to Germany in 1945, leaving their homes and possessions behind. Pomerania not only suffered from heavy fights during WWII, but it also witnessed a total population exchange. People from Eastern Poland (incorporated into the USSR) took the place of the Germans, forced to leave their homeland. You can bet the grandparents of every single man you'll meet were born somewhere else in Poland.

So were with Jamno people. Today, an open-air museum reminds us of their culture in the center of Koszalin. It is also worth seeing the village itself, which was incorporated into the city. In 2019, a reconstructed fragment of traditional houses called the "Jamno Farm" was opened there. You can make your trip even more fun, sailing from the Unieście II marina near Mielno to the Koszalin Marina near Jamno. The electric water tram "Julek" takes bikes, unfortunately without children's trailers.

An interesting place near Koszalin is also Góra Chełmska, whose highest point - Krzyżanka - rises to a dizzying height of 136 m above sea level. You can see the city's panorama, Lake Jamno, and even the Baltic Sea from the top.

Next, we cycle a separate asphalt bicycle road to Strzekęcino, where the Amber Palace, currently a four-star hotel, is located. From there, the route runs along concrete slabs and local roads with low traffic to Pomianów. The exception is the short section Wronie Gniazdo - Żeleźno. The new bike path is to be built by 2023. From Pomianów to Białogard, the route will ultimately run through Dargikowo. However, until the construction of a bicycle path on the flood embankment of the Liśnica River, it is not passable. Alternatively, you can take the Pomianowo - Białogard district road with moderate car traffic.