Hel Things to Do

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The scientists at the Seal Sanctuary at Hel look after seals which, for various reasons, were unable to live in their natural habitat and then, when they get stronger, release them into the Baltic Sea, where seals have become very rare. A visit to the sanctuary is an interesting experience for children and adults alike. The seals look quite happy there, racing from pool to pool, getting out onto the banks and romping about like naughty children. I could watch them for hours - one even kept jumping up on the bank right ahead of me as if posing for photographs. You can watch them either directly or through a pane of glass underground. To make your visit even more interesting try to be there at seals' feeding time, e.g. at 2 p.m. The building houses also an exhibition on the natural environment of the Baltic, unfortunately in Polish only.

Opening times: during the season - 9.00 till sunset, out of season - 9.30 - 16.00.
Admission: 2 PLN + another 2 if you want to see the seals through the glass. You must have 2 zl coins to enter.
Excellent disabled access.

Hel is mainly famous for its sea and beaches. The town is surrounded by the Baltic sea from three sides, partly by waters of the bay. The beach in many places is really wide and there is plenty of place to rest, play or sunbath. However, during high season (June, July, August) Hel is extremely crowded and it is good to reserve a room in advance becasue you won't find it when arriving without reservation.

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At the battery named after Heliodor Laskowski you can see a plaque commemorating its commander Lt. Zbigniew Przybyszewski. His battery heroically put up a fight against the overwhelming German forces for 32 days in the campaign of 1939. Hel was the last place in Poland to surrender. Lieutenant-commander Zbigniew Przybyszewski survived the war. Sadly, like many Polish officers, unjustly charged with treason, he was sentenced to death by the Communist authorities and killed on 16 December 1952. The plaque was founded in 2007 on his 100th birthday.
The inscription on the plaque says:
(in translation)

'It is sweet and honourable to die for your country,
Bitter when in its name a hero is murdered.'

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The forest leading to the beach hides numerous remains of the defence of Hel in 1939: anti-aircraft gun emplacements, bunkers, pillboxes and even one of the guns. You can now reach them walking along Kuracyjna St, which used to be closed as part of a military area. It's a nice walk even for those who are not interested in war memorabilia. The forest is full of bird singing and taking the various paths you can reach the coast at a number of points. The cobbled road ends in a spacious beach. This is the very tip of the peninsula from which you can watch the passing ships.

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If you can't take a trip on one of the big boats going to Gdansk or Sopot, don't despair. You can still enjoy a round boat trip into the open sea on one of the smaller boats. They are there off season as well and for the small sum of 10 (for 30 min.) or 15 (for 45 min.) zloties will take you along the coast to see the war time shipwrecks, the beaches and the lighthouse at Hel. We chose the Cpt. Morgan, a fishing boat built of wood after the Viking designs. It was my birthday and, coincidentally, the boat turned out to be exactly my age (well, not to the day, but anyway). Beautifully renovated (I wish I could undergo this as well), it is now used for boat trips, fishing trips for groups, trips organised to watch sunset or sunrise at sea. I somehow don't believe I would get up that early but even by day we greatly enjoyed the rocking of the boat to the sound of traditional shanties, with the wind in our faces and the sun shining brightly. The boating fan that I am, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday.

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If you crave for adventures, perhaps you would like to take a trip by water-taxi from Hel to Gdynia? This speedy boat will take you there in just 15 minutes. Tightly fastened to your seat, you will still feel the excitement of travelling on the water at the high speed of 90 km/hour and very close to the surface. The taxi doesn't go off season when we were there, but I'm not sure if I would take up the challenge anyway. Perhaps I'd better leave it to younger people.

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Walking along Wiejska St, the main street of Hel, you will see some charming 19th century fisherman's cottages. Half-timbered, with tiny windows and with low wooden fences around them, they remind me of doll's houses, but they still serve their purpose. More and more of them have been beautifully restored in recent years so don't miss a single one. The one in the photo dates back to 1890, the one that houses a restaurant is even older, coming from 1842. In poor condition, it will undergo complete reconstruction in the autumn this year. I keep fingers crossed they don't spoil it. The wrought-iron railing in the third picture has been added only recently.

In Fokarium there are several adult seals: Balbin, Unda, Joel and some young ones.

Last news from this place, I have read on the interenet page Balbin was dead;( I don't know the reason of it but it is sad news.

The new seal man is coming from Sweden and we all hope he will be great new main man in the seal's team.