TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The most photographed monument in the city is located on the eastern breakwater. After all, what we are referring to is the Ustka Mermaid, who has the mythological figure of a bare half woman, half fish. Her gaze is directed towards the sea; she is looking out for vessels returning from fishing. The sculpture was created thanks to a fundraiser carried out among the inhabitants and supporters of the city. If the common belief is true – rubbing the left breast of the Mermaid brings happiness and guarantees another visit to Ustka. Tourists eagerly make use of this opportunity.

Irena Kwiatkowska, the excellent Polish actress, used to come to Ustka for holidays for many years; she would often sit on a bench by the promenade. In 2012, on the initiative of Ustka’s residents, an original monument was created, designed by the Poznań sculptor Rafał Nowak in cooperation with the sculptor and foundry Piotr Garstka and Piotr Szmyt. Mrs. Irena is sitting on a bench made of a roll of film and gazing out lost in thoughts towards the sea. On the left side of the figure, there is space for two people. You can have a seat. . .

Going further along the beach, on the edge of the park, we see the Monument of Frédéric Chopin. The figure of the composer in a windblown cloak is turned towards the sea. The monument was unveiled during the celebration of the Days of the Sea in 1979 as a gift from the Minister of Culture and Art to Ustka. It was designed by Ludwika Kraskowska-Nitschowa.

The monument designed by Joseph Thorak, favorite sculptor of the Nazis, bears the inscription: “To our fallen soldiers”, which commemorates the inhabitants of Ustka killed in World War I; it was unveiled in 1922. After the war, the sign was changed to: “To the anonymous heroes of world wars – the society of Ustka”. Today the monument has no inscription. The figure of a falling warrior holds a shield with Ustka’s coat of arms.

The sculpture of the Three Graces by Jan Konarski has been standing on the square in front of the Cultural Center since 2017. Three patron saints of beauty, intellectual arts and fine arts, i.e. Brightness, Joyfulness and Bloom, once decorated the fountain at the intersection of Marynarki Polskiej and Czerwonych Kosynierów streets. However, during the renovation of the streets, the fountain was destroyed. Fortunately, the figures have been preserved. It is worth mentioning that their creator is also the author of the best-known monuments, including that of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Słupsk, the bust of Janusz Korczak, patron of the Słupsk Provincial Hospital and co-author of the Józef Piłsudski monument in front of the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw.

A monument dedicated to the People of the Sea, established in 2002, stands between the Lighthouse and the building of the Harbor Master’s Office. At the center stands the figure of a mother waiting for her son to return from the sea. The woman is surrounded by stone plaques depicting harbor scenes. The author of the monument is Stanisław Kulon – a sculptor from Warsaw, and the plaques were made by Mieczysław Borys. Every year, on the Feast of Ustka and the Polish Army on August 15, wreaths and flowers are laid at the monument.

In the Pope John Paul II Park, also known as the Captain’s Alley, there is a model of the Old Fishing Village. It presents a fragment of the old Ustka from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, together with St Nicholas’ Church, which once stood in this place. There are also information plaques next to the mock-up; they present the establishment and the assumptions of the project (regarding revitalization of the area). Archaeological excavations conducted in September 2018 led to the discovery of the foundations of a wooden church that stood here until the 19th century.

The Monument of the Fisherman Called Mistral is located on Kaszubska Street, in the area of the Old Fishing Village. The figure shows a fisherman holding a fish (cod) in his right hand, with a fishing net thrown over his right hand. The monument is made of sandstone and is less than 2 meters high. The story of the fisherman Mistral was described and illustrated in the comic book “Mistral – A Story About a Brave Fisherman from Ustka”.