Draft:Świnoujście Beach



Świnoujście Beach (Plaża W Świnoujściu) is a 10 km long beach. It spans the coastline of the Polish part of the Usedom island as well as a part of the Wolin island. It is also 200 m wide, which makes it Poland's widest beach. It is located in the town of Świnoujście, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland along the Baltic Sea. The beach is located around 1.5 km away from the town centre. It also holds the Blue Flag beach status. The beach is separated by sand dunes from the Promenade, which has many restaurants and shops located right on it. Most of the beach is also guarded by lifeguards during the peak season. The beach also has twelve seperate entrances making it very accesible by foot.

Facilities
Świnoujście Beach has three different promenades (Promenada Świnoujście (Main Promenade), Promenada Zdrowia (Secondary Promenade) and Promenada Na Wydmach (Promenade on the Sand Dunes)). The main promenade is filled with restaurants, shops, hotels and attractions. These attractions include the brine graduation towers, the Shell theater, Baltic Park Molo Aquapark, Stawa Młyny, Fort Geharda, Angles Fort, the Western Fort and the Świnoujście Lighthouse.

Early 19th Century
The Beach dates back to the early 19th Century when it was under Prussia, it was used as a health resort because of its therapeutic sea air and warm maritime climate. The Świnoujście Lighthouse was completed in 1859 and it was the worlds tallest lighthouse.

Late 19th Century and early 20th Century
The Stawa Młyny was built in 1873-1874 during the modernisation of the shipping route into The Port of Świnoujście and it is now the official logo of Świnoujście. During the late 19th century and early 20th century Świnoujście or Swinemunde as it was known back then had a Pier which survived World War I but it was later severely damaged by a storm and subsequently had to be demolished.

Cold War
After World War II when Świnoujście became a part of Poland, the German population was moved out, Poles moved in, and the beach and resorts saw a drastic decrease in the amount of visitors. During the Cold War, when tensions rose between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, borders were closed or hard to cross.

21st Century
During the 21st Century Świnoujście Beach has seen a lot of modernisation and development as it grows into a bigger town. Świnoujście Spa Park is a modern, high-end holiday destination built next to the beach in Świnoujście. Many hotels, shops and restaurants are now being built on the Usedom side of the beach, especially after the Świnoujście Tunnel was built allowing for easier access to the island. The Wolin side of the beach has not yet seen much development as it is situated a lot further from the town centre and is seperated by the Świna River.