A new marina in Czarnków is helping to make the Great Wielkopolska Loop one of the main destinations for Polish boating holidays. It also serves the local community and promotes tourism and the culture of the region.
- 27 November 2015
You can barbecue, pitch your tent or use Wi-Fi, all free of charge.
Czarnków is a town located in the Greater Poland region with 12 000 inhabitants. Its newly created marina opened in 2011, with the financial support from the European Union, putting the town on the map as a key hub on the Great Wielkopolska Loop and as a destination in its own right for boating, waterway holidays and other leisure pursuits.
The investment consisted of construction of the marina and promenade, with a campsite and sanitary facilities, as well as the slipway for launching yachts and boats. In addition, new facilities for tourists were created, including bicycle stands, a launch station for hiring canoes, parking places for cars and a monitoring system to improve safety of the site. The facilities remain free for all users.
The new marina serves local community as well – new jobs were created, various events are organised both for children and adults to promote active lifestyle.
Unique boat travel
The Great Wielkopolska Loop is an inland waterway covering a distance of almost 700 km and leading along the Warta River, the Noteć, the Bydgoszcz Canal and the waterway linking the Bydgoszcz Canal with Warta. It connects the waterways of Poland with a large network of waterways in Western Europe and in Eastern Europe. It is also one of very few routes that can be travelled by a boat with a scantling draft greater than 30 cm. A journey along the full extent of this waterway takes approximately 30 days.
Tourists can plan their trip online using a dedicated tool ‘Planner’. In addition, an integrated system of information and navigation of the Great Waterway Loop of Wielkopolska has been launched. Despite the region attractiveness, for many years the area lacked proper facilities for boaters and tourists. The idea of promoting tourism and building a new marina dates back to 2001.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Activation of the Great Waterway Loop of Wielkopolska – 1st stage, construction of the Czarnków marina” is EUR 853 152, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 467 998 from the Operational Programme “Greater Poland” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.