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Czerniakowski Port

Located on the left bank at the 511 km mark of the Vistula, Czerniakowski Port is Warsaw’s main port. The entrance is situated at Płyta Desantu and leads southwards through the port channel, away from the main current of the Vistula, via a gate that serves as a flood defence for the city centre. Further on, under the Łazienkowski Bridge, the channel leads to the so-called ‘pan’ (the widest part of the channel), which ends with a biofilter through which the waters of the Piaseczyński and Główny canals flow into the harbour basin.

As a river port, it is characterised by significant water level fluctuations, which limit its operation. During low water levels on the Vistula, entering and leaving the Port is difficult. Conversely, during flood waters, when the water level reaches 500 cm on the Warszawa Bulwary gauge, the port gate is closed.

The Port comprises several areas serving different purposes: the main section, equipped with jetties, is used for mooring vessels; the technical section, featuring a slipway and winter storage, is intended for launching and repairing watercraft. The final section of the Port is a barge basin with canoe polo pitches, the Wisła Sauna and a restaurant.

The primary purpose of the harbour is to moor vessels at the jetties and quayside, for which there are nearly 200 mooring berths, most of which are equipped with connections for electricity and water.

The harbour has been operating in its current form since 2014. Its functional capabilities are constantly being improved. Despite limited space, the mooring capacity is being systematically expanded through the addition of jetties equipped with mooring points. The construction of a new bridge across the harbour channel will improve access between the port’s technical areas, i.e. between the slipway located on the site of the former Czerniakowska Shipyard and the boat winter storage facility. The latest investment currently planned is the construction of a new harbour master’s office, which will replace the current, old and dilapidated building.

The heart of Czerniakowski Port is the harbour master’s office, located at 8 Solec Street by the port gate. At the harbour master’s office, you can obtain all the necessary information regarding the port’s operations, pay port fees or use the toilet. The harbour masters work on a continuous shift system and are available to port users at all times.

A bit of history

The Vistula in Warsaw has a single channel, which in the past would regularly freeze over, posing a risk of damage or destruction to moored vessels. This necessitated the construction of a port outside the river’s main current, with its primary function being to serve as a winter harbour for ships. The harbour basin was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, the port housed a shipyard where river vessels were repaired and built.

In the post-war period, the port lost its significance. In the second half of the 1960s, the Czerniakowska Shipyard was closed down, and the harbour basin served locally as a mooring for the clubs operating there. It was not until the modernisation, completed in 2014, that the port was opened up to a wider range of users through the creation of an open marina for boats, complete with technical and sanitary facilities.