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Currently, Żerański Harbour is mainly used by young athletes from the Spójnia sports club, manufacturers of water sports equipment and boats, and local residents. We are working to restore this area to its former glory – we are creating a dedicated water sports centre and two new parks.
In collaboration with the Office of Sport and Recreation, we are working on the concept for the Warsaw Water Sports Centre. An urban planning concept has been prepared for this project. Work is currently underway on the architectural design. The space is intended to serve as a base for the practice and development of water sports (including competitive sports), primarily canoeing and rowing.
The concept covers all plots managed by ZZW along the southern basin of the port. The site will house sports and recreational facilities as well as port functions, including technical infrastructure. Canoeists and rowers currently have their seasonal bases here. In addition to its main sporting function, the Water Sports Centre will also feature a wide promenade along the southern shore of the basin, jetties along the northern shore, and rest areas.
Żerański Park is being developed along the western bank of the Żerański Canal. It is a degraded, largely post-industrial site. The development of the park will reflect the industrial character of the site – an unfinished river port and prefabricated building works. The project covers an area of approximately 13 hectares, on which the following will be located: a boulevard, jetties, areas for rest and relaxation, sport and play. An important objective is to preserve and introduce new ecological niches.
Combining the attractions of the waterfront with a secluded green area will create a space for rest and recreation for people of all ages and with diverse needs.
You can find out more about the construction of Żerański Park on the Investments page.
We want to create a park along the central part of the port, on the other side of the canal from Żerański Park. We have drawn up a development plan for this area, which aims to minimise disruption to the natural environment. We have tried to plan the work so as not to disturb the flora and fauna that are protected in this area. We will endeavour to preserve as much of the existing greenery as possible, whilst ensuring that future park users can enjoy it safely.
One of the project’s aims is to provide visitors with the opportunity for direct contact with nature (primarily through observation, but also through smell and touch). This will be made possible, amongst other things, by waterside walkways and viewing points. The planned viewing points will make use of the existing terrain and greenery. An educational trail is planned on the site of the former Różopol farmstead. Its proposed theme is the processes of human transformation of the natural environment and the subsequent spontaneous renaturation of these areas.
In the first half of 2024, a dendrological and natural environment inventory was compiled. Based on this, walking routes were marked out, taking into account the location of trees, the presence of protected plants and the terrain. Natural slopes were utilised to facilitate movement, including for wheelchair users. The paths will be constructed using permeable mineral surfacing. In the riparian zone, footpaths and viewing points are planned as raised wooden platforms and decking.
Within the park, there will be landscaped areas, such as natural playgrounds and rest areas, as well as unlandscaped areas, largely left as wild spaces whilst preserving the existing vegetation. New vegetation will be planned to preserve the unique, wild character of this area.
The Żerański Canal, connecting the Vistula with Lake Zegrze, leads to the Port of Żerański. It begins at the 520th kilometre of the Vistula and is 17.3 km long. Together with the Dębe barrage and the Tadeusz Tillingera Lock, it forms the so-called Warsaw water junction.
The first design for the Żerański Canal was drawn up in 1910; its aim was to shorten the waterway between the Bug and Warsaw by 41 km and to create a port with a constant water level in the Żerań area. Construction of the canal began in 1919. In 1920, work was suspended and only resumed in 1948. (source: https://www.kajaki-wisla.pl/kanal-zeranski/)
In 1951, a new design for the canal and port was drawn up, intended to accommodate barges weighing 1,350 tonnes. The plan envisaged Warsaw’s main commercial port, connected by a railway siding to the Warszawa-Praga station; additionally, the design included the construction of bridges and two locks – one to equalise the water levels between the Vistula and the Bug, and the other on the canal linking the inner port with the winter port. Unfortunately, due to the high construction costs, the following were excluded from the project: one port basin, the railway siding in the port, and the port canal. This scaled-down project was designated as the first stage of construction; it was intended to ensure the continuity of the combined heat and power plant’s operations and to create a temporary waterway for 300-tonne barges.
In 1959, the Tadeusz Tillingera chamber lock was built on the Żerański Canal, which compensates for the several-metre difference in water levels between the Vistula and the Bug and Narew rivers, thereby enabling ships to navigate freely from Lake Zegrze to the Vistula and back. The canal is the only waterway connecting the Vistula with the Bug and Narew rivers.
The Żerański Port was opened in 1963. The total area of the port in Białołęka is approximately 260 hectares. The “Żerań” Combined Heat and Power Plant is located nearby. The port was adapted for the safe mooring and servicing of ships; the canal had transhipment quays which allowed for the unloading of sand and gravel extracted from the Narew. From 1972, this port was used for the transhipment of sand, gravel and other aggregates required for the production of concrete elements at the nearby “Faelbet” factory, which no longer exists today. Work at the port was completed in 1989.
