Parsęta: queen of the salmon rivers

The Parsęta - queen of Poland's salmon rivers

The Parsęta is one of the loveliest rivers in West Pomerania and a true "queen of Poland's salmon rivers". It is about 140 km long and runs entirely through the West Pomeranian region: it rises in meadows near the village of Parsęcko, on the Drawsko Lakeland, at around 137 m above sea level (it was once called the Prośnica), and ends its course at Kołobrzeg, giving its waters to the Baltic Sea.

It is a river of two faces. In its upper reaches, in the zone of terminal moraines, it is swift, cool and wooded - flowing between high, in places steep, forested banks, with a fast current. In the lower course, on the Białogard Plain, it slows, spreads wider and meanders through meadows. This contrast means the Parsęta has something for everyone - from experienced paddlers to families with children - you only have to match the stretch to your skill. Let us follow it in order, from source to sea. Before you set off it is worth checking the current water level.

The route and its obstacles - how to plan the trip

The most popular kayak trail on the Parsęta runs from Osówko to Kołobrzeg and is about 84 km long - it is this route that the famous kayak marathon follows every year. The river need not be paddled in full, though; it is best split into stretches and to pick a section to suit you. For the experienced, the most interesting is the swift upper-middle course; for beginners and families, the calm, easy finish.

And here is something important: the Parsęta is not a fully "through-paddleable" river. On the trail described here, from Osówko, the river is barred by the power-plant dam at Rościno - a historic, concrete structure 22 m wide, with a working power plant from 1936; kayaks are portaged along the left bank, about 50 m. Higher up, off the trail, two more small hydro plants operate at Pustkowo and Storkowo. On top of that come weirs and drops: the ruined weir of a former mill at Osówko, the weir at Białogard (portage on the left bank, about 50 m) and a concrete weir beyond Karlino, which is usually run. None of these obstacles closes the route - which is why we recommend the upper section to people who already have a little experience.

The lower section, from Karlino to Kołobrzeg (about 45 km), has an entirely different character - a wide, calm river, good for a two-day family trip finishing on the Kołobrzeg beach, at the mouth on the Baltic. There are few obstacles, but there are some: a concrete weir by the cemetery in Karlino, underwater weirs before Miechęcino and before the bridge to Bardy (the less experienced portage the kayak there along the right bank, about 30 m), a metre-and-a-half drop at Pyszka, and rapids and protruding boulders at Rościęcino. Watch out separately for a stone weir about 1.5 m high at kilometre 62 of the river, below Białogard - it is completely submerged, and so invisible from a kayak. You can paddle from spring to autumn, roughly from April to October; just remember that the upper course can be swift and cold, so it calls for more care and for checking the water level before the trip.

Nature - sea trout, salmon and the Parsęta valley

The Parsęta is one of the most important salmon rivers in Poland - and this is its greatest natural pride. The clean, well-oxygenated and cool water of the upper course is ideal for migratory fish: every year sea trout, for which the Parsęta is called the "queen", run up here to spawn, and salmon too. Brown trout live in the current, and above the water - as everywhere the river is clean - the kingfisher hunts.

The landscape changes along the course. Up top the river winds through forests, between high, in places steep banks; lower down, on the Białogard Plain, it enters a zone of intense meanders - the channel narrows in places to a dozen or so metres, and the sandy, undercut banks form steep bluffs. The whole Parsęta valley is an important wildlife refuge and an ecological corridor of Pomerania, and its mouth at Kołobrzeg adjoins coastal land valuable for birds. So let us set off down the river, town by town.

Białogard - an ancient stronghold on the Parsęta

The largest town on the upper Parsęta is Białogard, one of the oldest strongholds in Pomerania - traces of the earliest hillfort go back to the 7th century. The town lies between the Parsęta and its tributary the Liśnica, on the old salt route, which drove trade for centuries. Gallus Anonymus described it as a "royal and splendid town" and a "rich and populous stronghold". Its greatest flourishing came in the 15th and 16th centuries, when Białogard was renowned for its crafts and great horse fairs, and as early as 1386 it joined the Hanseatic League.

Karlino - the bishops' castle and the oil-boom "second Kuwait"

Lower down the river reaches Karlino, picturesquely set at the confluence of the Parsęta and the Radew. Above the town rises the castle of the bishops of Kamień, raised in the 14th century on an island formed by the Parsęta, the Radew and the Mill Canal; in the ruins of the Gothic building a fireplace was found that is regarded as the oldest surviving monument of its kind in Pomerania.

Karlino has its moment of world fame too. On 9 December 1980, near the village of Krzywopłoty, oil erupted from the Daszewo I well, and soon a huge fire broke out - oil shot up to a height of 40 metres, and the glow could be seen from far off. The blaze was fought for 32 days, by around a thousand people, until 10 January 1981; it was the largest oil eruption in Europe, and for a moment Poland dreamed of the status of a "second Kuwait".

Stretches of the Parsęta trip: from the upper river to Kołobrzeg

The Parsęta divides into two different worlds. The upper section, down to Białogard, is wild and technical - a narrow, winding river with numerous log jams and fallen trees, for the experienced. From Białogard through Karlino the Parsęta grows wider and calmer, and the Karlino-Kołobrzeg stretch is easy and accessible, ending at the mouth straight on the Baltic. You can see all the stretches on the map below - in "Close to nature" mode, with facilities and water levels along the way. And if you'd rather plan the trip your own way, you can draw your own route in "Your own way" mode.

See the trail on the interactive map Click to load the map with the route drawn in

Kołobrzeg - salt, a cathedral and the Baltic

The Parsęta ends its course at Kołobrzeg - one of the oldest and most famous towns in Pomerania. A settlement that lived by extracting salt from brine existed here as early as the 8th century, so salt was boiled on the Parsęta some four centuries earlier than at Wieliczka. The importance of the place was recognised by Bolesław the Brave himself: during the Congress of Gniezno in the year 1000 a bishopric for Pomerania was established at Kołobrzeg, and its first bishop was Reinbern.

Above the town rises the mighty brick co-cathedral basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built from the 13th-14th century, nearly 70 metres long, with a massive forty-metre tower - a memento of Hanseatic wealth. From the 19th century Kołobrzeg flourished as a spa, famed for its brine and mud, with numerous treatment centres, a harbour, a pier and broad beaches. It is an exceptional end to a trip: river and paddler reach the very sea together.

The Parsęta is a route that brings together all that is best in kayaking: a swift, forested current up top, calm meanders lower down, ancient strongholds and a town on the very Baltic. The experienced will find a challenge in the upper-middle course, with portages at power plants and weirs; beginners will find an ideal, easy stretch from Karlino to Kołobrzeg, ending on a sea beach. And one thing unites them all: the knowledge that they are paddling the "queen of Poland's salmon rivers".