Szczecin is an interesting and exciting city that cannot be fully discovered in one weekend. If you like to take a look at the city, you should visit the lookout points in Szczecin.
We visited a viewpoint that gives a great panoramic view of the city and went to two lookouts with a good overview of the surrounding area.
Viewpoints in Szczecin with a good overview
The viewpoints in Szczecin with an overview lead high up – in both cases even with the help of an elevator!
St. James Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. James in Szczecin is one of the largest churches in Pomerania. The brick building stands not far from the Szczecin Central Station.
The imposing church was built in several stages in the period from the 13th to the 15th century. Around 1237, Duke Barnim I decided that the church, then called Jacobi Church, should be used by the Germans living in Szczecin. For the Slavic inhabitants he foresaw the use of St. Peter’s Church.
After the Reformation, the Pomeranian Evangelical Community used the church. Since 1945 the church has been Catholic and Pope John Paul II elevated it to the rank of basilica minor in 1983. Since that time the church is called Jacob’s Cathedral.
From the outside, the church building is impressive. The chancel is almost as large as the nave and has a high tower. This tower was built in 1456-1503 and had a Gothic dome. When Szczecin was besieged in 1677, this spire was destroyed and it was not until 1894 that the church spire received a new top. During the Second World War the church suffered great damage. However, the choir and the tower, except for the dome, remained intact.
The Polish Catholic Church appropriated the ruined church in 1945 and repaired it. Since 1971, a church service can be held in the church again. At that time, however, the church tower had not yet been completely repaired. It was not until 2007 that the tower was given a new helmet. This is based on the spire of 1677 and reaches the impressive height of 110.18 meters.
Viewpoint church spire
A small side entrance leads to the ticket office at the top of the tower. From there you get into an elevator that takes you up to the 5th floor at 46.32m. There you walk a few steps to a second elevator that takes you to the 6th floor at 56.18 meters. It is not possible to climb the stairs, they only serve as an emergency exit.
Stepping out of the elevator, one stands in the church spire. The roof slopes are interrupted by a few ribbons of windows and a lot of light falls into the spire. You can walk around three quarters of the tower and have a great view over the city through the windows. For me, a great view that showed us the first destinations in Szczecin from above.
Address:
Świętego Jakuba Apostoła 1, 70-543 Szczecin, Polen
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday: 10 – 18 h Saturday – Sunday: 10 – 19 h
Entrance fees:
Adultse: 15 zł
Discounts are offered.
Café 22 – Cake time with a view
A visit to Café 22 is simply part of “the” viewpoints in Szczecin.
In the highest building of the city, the Pazim office building, on the 22nd floor is the café with a 360 degree panoramic view of the city.
You enter the building and walk past the doorman to the elevators. Via a touchpad that was already operated in our case, you select the desired floor to which you want to go. The café is located on the 22nd floor!
Depending on the time of your visit, you should reserve a table. Especially in the evening hours, when the sun is slowly setting, it can get quite crowded. We were there on a rainy day, shortly after the café opened. It was very empty and we were assigned a small table right by the window.
Even though the café is supposed to be the most modest café in Szczecin according to the website, I must honestly admit, the interior could have more flair. The cake was really just great and unfortunately eaten up far too quickly!
During our visit to Café 22, the view was rather modest. Thick rain clouds hung over the city and it all seemed gray. Nevertheless, I find the view just great. Since it was quite empty, I could turn almost directly at the windows a complete round in the cafe and discover the city from above. Super cool I found that directly at the windows small signs provide information about attractions.
Very special viewpoints in Szczecin is located on the bank of the Odra River. If you cross the West-Oder Bridge from the Old Town to the other side of the river, you will come to the Szczecin riverside boulevard.
We first walked past a large open area where a concert had taken place the night before. While the workers dismantled the stage, we could walk directly along the shore and the harbor cranes and enjoy the view of the hook terraces. If you walk all the way to the end of the path, you will also discover the photo point with the Szczecin lettering here. From there you will also have a small view of the Szczecin harbor.
We walked back along the river bank, under the West-Oder bridge in the direction of Langebrücke. In this section you can see well the castle. Here are also some restaurants that open in the evening hours.
You can then get back to the other side of the Odra via the Langebrücke bridge.
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