The Days of the Sea – the Third Day

The second day of the Days of the Sea - Sail Szczecin has passed. On Saturday the Chrobry Embankments and Łasztownia hosted almost 60,000 people. A culminating point of yesterday evening, the performance “Chopin on Chopin”, attracted almost 20,000 spectators! Further attractions today!
Almost 150 vessels on water, cruises, exhibitions, concerts and many other attractions awaited visitors of the Days of the Sea -Sail Szczecin on Saturday.

Guests, guests...
Not only residents but also guests from the whole of Poland and hundreds of tourists from abroad visited the Chrobry Embankments and Łasztownia.

Szczecin hosted the winners of the contest on knowledge about the city that took place on air at Radio Zet at the beginning of June. The winner of the competition was Mrs. Joanna Jabłońska from Płot, who as a prize spends the weekend in Szczecin with her cousin and parents.  Apart from a stay in a luxury hotel, we prepared many interesting activities for our guests. The family visited Szczecin with a guide and learnt about the history of our city. The guests visited, among other things, St. Jacob’s Cathedral and Jasne Błonia and covered the route of the Second World War of the Szczecin Underground Tourist Routes.
– This is a really amazing place, where you can feel the atmosphere of those times. “The shelter made a great impression on us“ – said Joanna. – “I enjoy the city very much. As I wrote in the essay that allowed me to take part in the second stage of the contest, a great asset of Szczecin is its location – by the water and in the close vicinity of Berlin. Szczecin for me is an unusual city. Its assets are perfectly reflected in the idea of a Floating Garden – a place full of green areas and opportunities, open to young people and with much going on”.

Among guests from abroad were also the representatives of Local Governments from Berlin Friedrichshain - Kreuzberg, Bremerhaven, Greifswald, Kłajpeda, Lübeck, Rostock, Kingston-upon-Hull and Kaliningrad, who came to the Days of the Sea as part of a traditional meeting of partner cities. The representatives talked with Mayor Piotr Krzystk about cooperation in many fields. They exchanged experience in the area of educational projects implemented in individual cities. The guests got acquainted with the project of the European Capital of Culture 2016.

To the island and the exhibition
The exhibition “Wilhelm Meyer for Szczecin – Szczecin for Wilhelm Meyer” in the National Museum near the Chrobry Embankments, enjoyed much popularity. From the exhibition we can learn who the greatest architect of Szczecin was, where he lived and what his passions were. He designed, among other things, the building of the Maritime Museum, Haken’s terraces, the Central Cemetery, the building of the City Office in Szczecin and the headquarters of the Pomerania Medical Academy.

Real moto-gems appeared at the foot of the Castle Route. As part of the so-called motor island, we could see, among other things, a Warszawa 204 car from 1964, a famous German  Kubelwagen from 1944, a Willys Jeep from the 50’s, a huge Cadillac from 1953. The exhibition was prepared by the Museum of Technology and Transport. A parade of historic vehicles is planned for Sunday. It is scheduled to take place on the Chrobry Embankments at 6.30 pm.
The island also hosts attractions for fans of newer machines. You can test a driving simulator, a crash simulator and have a drive in a racing car. Attractions were prepared by the Pro Driving Podkalicki Team.

A tram and a locomotive
Between attractions on the Chrobry Embankments, you could have a ride on an unusual, historic, tram. From yesterday it has run on the streets of Szczecin. A historic carriage covers a special, tourist route, where passengers can see corners of the city and learn about its history.  The route of the tourist tram No. “0” runs from the Main Station, through, among other places, Matejki Street, Grunwaldzki Square, Piastów Avenue, Bohaterów Warszawy Street, Pomorzany up to Kolumba Street and back to the Railway Station.
Departures from the stop at Dworzec Główny PKP (the Main Railway Station) at 2.00 pm., 2.40 pm., 3.20 pm., 4.00 pm., 4.40 pm., and 5.20 pm.

Departures from the Matejki PZU stop at 2.09 pm., 2.49 pm., 3.29 pm., 4.09 pm., 4.49 pm., and 5.29 pm.

Also by tracks, but this time railroad, the “Beautiful Helen”, a pre-war steam locomotive, arrived in Szczecin. Undoubtedly it was an ornament for the Days of the Sea - Sail Szczecin 2010.

The steam locomotive visited Łasztownia, where it filled up with water delivered by the Fire Department. Having visited the island, it began its return journey through the Main Station (where passenger carriages were attached) to Poznań. The “Beautiful Helen” visited the Days of the Sea as part of the Days of Rail Technology.

The promotion of Poland has been launched
During “the Days of the Sea - Sail Szczecin 2010” the Polish Tourist Organisation presented the assumptions of the Project “Let’s promote Poland together”. The “Fryderyk Chopin” started its three-month voyage around major European ports from its mother port in Szczecin. Its task will be to promote Polish tourist assets the among residents of Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. The formal departure of the sailing ship was the last feature of the show “Chopin on Chopin”, the main event of this year’s Days of the Sea.

Chopin in several scenes
At 10 p.m. actors, dancers and musicians, among them eminent pianists Leszek Możdżer and Krzysztof Jabłoński, participated in an amazing show „Chopin on Chopin”. The concert was a sign of respect towards this outstanding composer on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Almost 120 artists were engaged in the show. To the background of the exceptional sailing ships -  “Fryderyk Chopin”, “Iskra” and “Pogoria” - they performed, inter alia, classic arrangements of works by the eminent Polish composers.
The spectacle closed with a  fireworks show.