The cyclists' festival drew crowds.

The huge interest in the event confirms its strong position in the industry calendar. All places for the industry conference were booked within a week. The conference was attended by representatives of institutions, local governments and companies from Poland and Germany. Its participants summarised the activities carried out so far, which may inspire national cycling policy, and discussed the challenges facing Poland and Europe.

An important moment was the signing of an agreement between the Polish Tourist Organisation and the West Pomeranian Province on the transfer of an application scheme for a database of cycle routes in Poland by the PTO.

“Western Pomerania is a special place, a leader in the construction of long-distance cycle routes and the implementation of cycling policy. I am therefore all the more pleased to sign an agreement with the West Pomeranian Province on the transfer of the cycle route database. This is a scheme that describes cycle routes in Poland in a uniform and standardised manner. I am very happy that the West Pomeranian Province will be testing this scheme. It is here that a pilot project will be carried out in 2026," explains Małgorzata Wilk-Grzywna, Vice-President of the Polish Tourist Organisation.

The document is a model of national cycling infrastructure, aimed at standardising data on cycle routes in Poland. It will enable consistent, uniform description of routes on a national scale. It will take into account the needs of cyclists, local governments and investors, who will thus have a database enabling them to create various types of spatial geoportals, tourist or cycling portals, maps and mobile applications.

An open, two-day space for cycling enthusiasts

The rest of the event was open to the public. For two days, the premises of the Marshal's Office in Szczecin were filled with lectures, workshops, presentations, films and meetings devoted to cycling tourism in the Pomerania Euroregion. The event was open to everyone, regardless of age.

This year's edition included 21 hours of lectures and workshops, 60 speakers, 56 exhibitors, bicycle equipment tests, and animations and attractions for children. The bicycle workshop, where you could have your bike serviced before the season and have minor repairs done, was also very popular.

Western Pomerania is a modern, creative and entrepreneurial region. We are an eco-region, a model for the whole of Poland. We produce the largest amount of energy from renewable sources, and the second reason is our state-of-the-art train fleet – these are mainly electric and hybrid trains, but what distinguishes us from the rest of Poland is that we focus on building cycle routes. Let me just remind you that in the first stage, nearly 1,100 km were built, and in the second stage, which we started in 2025, we will build another 400 km. We will therefore have 1,500 km of picturesque cycle routes. The funds allocated for the construction of cycle routes in Western Pomerania until 2027 amount to PLN 407 million. These are, of course, also European funds. We are putting a lot of emphasis on ensuring that these routes are built very quickly, says Jakub Kowalik, Deputy Marshal of the West Pomeranian Province.

Marshal Jakub Kowalik also mentioned the largest tourist attraction currently under construction, namely the Berlin-Szczecin-Kołobrzeg cycle loop. Most of this route, 510 km, is on the Polish side, and 270 km on the German side. In February, as part of the implementation of this task, the construction site was handed over to the contractor. Approximately 5 km of new route will be built on the Golczewo-Upadły section, following the route of the former narrow-gauge railway, and therefore completely isolated from motor traffic.

Safety, health and education with the participation of the event partner

One of the partners of the 3rd Polish-German Cycling Tourism Days is PZU. As part of the ‘PZU Cycling Poland’ programme, extensive educational zones, modern simulation tools and family activities have been prepared to promote safe and conscious cycling in a practical way.

Participants could enjoy a traffic town, Poland's first electric scooter crash simulator, a creative ‘Pimp My Bike’ zone, first aid training, quizzes on traffic regulations and competitions with attractive prizes, including bicycles and bicycle accessories. There was also a health zone where participants could consult experts about their fitness for free, check their basic parameters and learn how to prepare their bodies for the upcoming cycling season.

Cycling equipment demonstrations and tests

As part of the open part of the event, demonstrations and tests of cycling equipment were planned, which took place in the garage of the Marshal's Office of the West Pomeranian Province at 14 Mazowiecka Street in Szczecin. This was an opportunity to see modern cycling solutions up close, talk to experts and test various types of bicycles and accessories. The demonstrations and tests were attended by, among others: Follow me, Gravelbikeverleih Usedom, Velofracht GmbH, Tandem Szczecin, Canyon Bicycles GmbH, Fahrrad und Touristikcenter Bodo Butzke Schwedt, GEOBIKE MFC Sp. z o.o., Riese & Müller GmbH.

Partners and patrons of the event

Polish Tourist Organisation

National Geographic

PZU

Landkreis Uckermark

Landkreis Vorpommern-Greifswald

    West Pomeranian Regional Tourist Organisation

The event was organised as part of the Small Projects Fund (SPF) of the Interreg VI A Cooperation Programme Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania / Brandenburg / Poland 2021–2027.