My wife and I had been meaning to visit Orunia Park (Park Oruński) for a few years. For one reason or another, we never got round to it.
Probably, we’d been so used to visiting the same old places in the Tri-City area – Sopot, Gdańsk’s beaches, Alfa Park, Jasień Reservoir, Tri-City Landscape Park and the Main Town of Gdańsk – that we’d become too attached to our comfort zone.
On the last day of April 2022, we drove down to Orunia to enjoy the many wonders of nature Orunia Park has to offer.
How to get to Orunia Park?
From the centre of Gdańsk (in front of the Main Train Station – Dworzec Główny), it’s not a bad option to take bus 154 to the last stop – Orunia Górna 01.
From this stop, it’s but a 10 to 15 minute walk down to Orunia Park.
As the map below indicates, head to Platynowa Street and locate the walkway (green jagged line) which leads downhill to the Park.
Main Attractions in Orunia Park
Many citizens of Gdańsk I’ve spoken with in recent years don’t hold the district of Orunia in high regard. However, don’t let the run-down housing blocks on the other side of the main road – route 91 – put you off visiting Orunia Park.
Let’s briefly check out what visitors can see and do in the Park:
1. Admire the Lakes
It’s worth spending time strolling around both of the small lakes in Orunia Park.
However, the small lake located on the east side of the Park is particularly enchanting due to the view of beautiful weeping willows standing along the shoreline and their branches which dip down into the water. The colours of spring magnified the splendour.
2. Check out the Water Cascade
It’s hardly Niagara Falls. However, there’s an extremely charming water cascade right by the eastern edge of the large lake.
Check out our video below. The water cascade appears at 1:45.
3. Stroll by the Orunia Stream
Just as soothing as observing the water cascade is taking a stroll by the Orunia Stream (Potok Oruński). The stream runs adjacent to the northern border of the park.
4. Check out the Monument to the Tatars of the Republic of Poland
On November 25, 2010, the Monument to the Tatars of the Republic of Poland was officially unveiled. The initiator of the creation of the monument was the National Cultural Centre of the Tatars, located in Orunia Park itself.
The first Tatars arrived in Poland in the 14th century when Vytautas the Great, the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, offered them asylum in recognition for their military services during the war against the Teutonic Knights.
Away from the Hustle and Bustle
If you’re in Gdańsk for longer than a weekend, I wholeheartedly recommend you to visit both Oliwa Park and Orunia Park.
Orunia Park has a much calmer atmosphere than Oliwa Park. However, Oliwa Park is a breathtaking urban oasis.