Międzyzdroje, known for its picturesque beaches and proximity to the Wolin National Park, has become the site of controversy over the construction of a luxury apartment building called The Sea Resort. The development, located just 45 meters from the Baltic coastline, is stirring up numerous emotions among locals and tourists.
Hotel "The Sea Resort" - luxury on the beach
The Sea Resort is a complex of luxury apartments for rent, being built directly on the beach in Miedzyzdroje. The Sea Resort was designed by the studio W + Architekci Wolski & Włosek. The investor is the MINDE company. Construction company W.P.I.P. was chosen as the building's general contractor. Commercialization of the investment is carried out by ASSETHOME of Szczecin.
Construction of the edifice started in December 2023. It is to be a complex consisting of two buildings. The 153 apartments, ranging in size from 28 to 117 square meters, each with a terrace, will be located on four floors. The top floor will feature glazed penthouses. An underground garage with 104 parking spaces is planned under the complex.
According to the developer's official materials, the development is expected to offer direct access to the beach and amenities such as swimming pools, a sauna complex, Jacuzzi, spa & wellness and a restaurant.
As we can read on the website, the apartments are advertised as "a secondhome in an exclusive development that will change the standards of coastal real estate." The property is said to be "closest to the shore of the Baltic Sea." "You won't be closer to the sea again," the - assures the offer. A young woman sipping champagne in a jacket (without a blouse), not very successfully generated by artificial intelligence, is probably also meant to invite you to invest.
In the fire of criticism
The Sea Resort apartment complex has become a flashpoint of controversy since construction began in late 2023, and the debate intensified in 2024 and early 2025. Internet users have not minced their words in describing the project, with many calling it a "pat-development," reflecting strong negative attitudes toward what many consider excessive and inappropriate development in such a sensitive location. The development's proximity to the water has led to particularly strong criticism, with some observers noting that "this is no longer even construction near the beach, but literally on the beach." Thus underscoring concerns that public access to the beach and the coastal environment are at risk relative to private commercial interests. Here, however, it is worth noting that the development itself, although it looks as if it cuts into the dune and forest, actually stood on the site where Camper Park Beach had operated year after year since 2020. It remained a matter of time when the plot would be developed, especially since it is covered by a local plan.
Screen from a satellite map of the plot's location, 2017
All planned
According to its provisions, the site was intended for the function of... a marina. No one will probably be surprised by the fact that the possibility of development and construction of free-standing or combined facilities, such as guest suites, catering establishments or boat rental, has been allowed here. The local zoning plan allows the development of up to four overground floors, with the highest of them to be inscribed in the form of an attic, and the height of the buildings must not exceed 14.5 meters measured from ground level to the ridge. Viewing terraces, which are to cover at least 50% of the length of the façade from the sea, are also a key element of the premise. The plan also specifies that the development should have high, multi-pitched roofs with slopes in the range of 32-45 degrees, and the color scheme of the facades is to be maintained in light, pastel shades. Moreover, isolating greenery is recommended around the borders of the plot, and fences - if created - must be harmonized with the surroundings and must not be made of prefabricated concrete elements. The plot is also subject to special rules for the protection of the environment and the riparian zone, which follows from the general provisions of the plan.
So it seems that all the elements (well, maybe except for the roof, which on the visualization is flat and green) have been met. From a legal point of view, the investment has followed all the required procedures. The building permit for The Sea Resort was issued by the West Pomeranian governor in 2018. Alexandra O'Donnel of the city office said that "residents have not raised any complaints or objections to the bureau regarding the concept of the current development of the area," suggesting that the project proceeded without formal objection at the planning stage.
What we see on the plot is the result of a plan provision from January 2012. One can nitpick at the problematic nature of the development, which looks as if it fell from the sky and sat right on the dune. One can lament that it is an overly intrusive lump that appeared suddenly. But since its enactment, the site has served as a parking lot, camping area, and before that as a technical fishing base (if the words of the investor's spokesman are to be believed). One could also say that on the one hand - the ren site was degraded and the best that could happen to it was development. However, one may wonder whether another scenario was possible, in which the authorities would have done something to save the place from development. "The planned investment does not in any way threaten the natural resources of the Międzyzdroje coast". - informed Mikołaj Kirschke, a spokesman for Minde, in response to an inquiry by the RadioZET.pl portal. "The investor also has all the necessary environmental agreements and is following the requirements and instructions of the relevant authorities," he said. - he added.
MPZP with the investment plot marked
Residents also raise in the discussion the location of the aparthotel in a rather controversial spot. Perhaps tempted by the view, buyers won't realize that the neighboring plot is a base for a cutter base, which in summer works at full capacity from dawn. The visualizations cleverly cover the site; if anyone believes only them, they will be strongly surprised.
Screen from the comments under the Facebook post regarding the investment.
Course for greenery?
It's easy to get the impression that the municipality has taken a new course after the elections and something has changed. After all, the current mayor boasts on his Facebook that Miedzyzdroje is going green. "Our application for funding for the project entitled "Sea of Greenery II - development of green infrastructure with appropriate facilities in the Municipality of Miedzyzdroje" has received funding in the amount of PLN 4,582,783.20 from the EU," he writes. - he writes on the profile. In fact, the aforementioned flawed MPZP was passed back when the previous mayor, Leszek Dorosh, held the office from 2006 to 2018. The current one - Mateusz Bobek took power in 2018. Spatial management bears the hallmarks of its predecessors. However, it is worth reviewing and checking it, especially if such pompous words are written. "We want to create new, landscaped places: for meeting, integration, recreation and leisure for residents and visitors to our municipality, friendly to people and the environment, accessible to the public and safe in a natural setting." - Bobek sums up his post and points out that this is an investment in the future and the so-called green lungs of Miedzyzdroje. He concludes the post by saying that the space is to be adapted to climate change and its effects.
It will be interesting to see how The Sea Resort will be prepared for climate change. Since 1995, the level of the Baltic Sea has risen by 15 centimeters, and the Interdisciplinary Advisory Panel on the Climate Crisis to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences has issued a communiqué that says outright that we will see extreme events occur much more frequently. "Local sea level values that have historically occurred once a century are expected to occur under all scenarios, at least once a year," - he points out. Further, we can read, among other things, that increased future storminess is forecast for the central European and Baltic region, or surges that could be several times more frequent than in the past. "Closer to the sea you won't be anymore" - no longer appears here as a vision as glorious as in the ministry's visualization.
It's not the first
Although The Sea Resort has dominated the recent controversy, it is not the only major project to change the landscape of Miedzyzdroje. The city has been treading the path of controversy. It was here, after all, that plans for the construction of two 33-story skyscrapers, announced by Siemaszko, a Szczecin-based developer, surfaced. Each of the planned towers was to reach a height of 112 meters, which would have made them the tallest buildings in the West Pomeranian region. The plan was to create luxury apartments overlooking the sea, as well as restaurants, stores, recreation areas, a spa, a pool complex and conference rooms. This "visionary project" has even received building permits.
Map showing the development
Magdalena Milert
Ultimately, the investment was blocked by the intervention of the Military Property Agency, which owns plots of land in the vicinity and proved in court the adverse impact of the project on its business. The juxtaposition of the 112-meter towers with the protected natural environment of the national park presents a stark contrast between the priorities of environmental protection and development. The mayor of Miedzyzdroje, Mateusz Bobek, took a nuanced stance at the time, stating that while he was "not in favor of this type of development," the construction was "a consequence of decisions made earlier," meaning, again, the local plan.
Another development in the city is also the Wave Międzyzdroje Resort, also located on the beach. This is another example of a building that attracts attention with its grandeur, but also triggers discussions about the direction of development. The complex was designed by the MODO studio. It includes five buildings, connected by green terraces and common spaces, which, according to the developer, are meant to relate to the natural landscape of the coast and Wolin National Park. As the operator himself mentions in a comment, "In creating the concept of the complex, the architects focused not only on usability, showing the lightness of the structure, but were also inspired by the sea. Miedzyzdroje was visited by the first visitors as early as the 19th century, and this tradition is successfully continued by the new projects, which give the resort a chance to follow the spirit of the times and additionally show the stages of evolution of the urban fabric."
The Wave Międzyzdroje Resort complex was developed by Warsaw-based Green House Development, which manages some of the apartments in it. Individual units were sold to individual investors. The entire complex consists of five 10-story apartment buildings with a total of more than 400 luxury residential units. The first three towers were completed in May 2022. What cannot be denied to the complex is that it stands out for its distinctive form. After all, it is impossible to miss the five 34-meter-high towers, which, in addition, consist of floors rotated relative to the lower floors.
A pebble in the garden
The economics of these waterfront developments reveal a particular tourism development model focused on luxury second homes and investment properties. A similar scenario is being repeated in many seaside resorts, where developers are looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of domestic tourism and interest in vacation properties. At first glance - the benefits themselves. After all, new investments mean construction jobs, higher property tax revenues, and more accommodation. However, all this is also followed by the price paid by the towns themselves and their residents. Increasingly dense development is affecting the character of these places, changing the landscape and undermining what was previously their greatest asset - proximity to nature and free access to beaches. In the long run, it may be that what attracted tourists here will simply disappear.
In the case of The Sea Resort development, all the apartments were sold before construction was even finished. Owners often treat them like an investment - they rent them out to tourists in the summer, and the rest of the year the units stand empty. This makes places like Miedzyzdroje live full lives only for a few holiday weeks, and they die down in the off-season. On top of that, there is the issue of prices. In some of the new developments, prices are as high as PLN 50,000 per square meter. This raises the question - who are these apartments actually being built for? Certainly not for the average tourist who has been going to the Baltic Sea for years.
Screen from rynekpierwotny.pl about The Sea Resort investment
Resorts that were once for everyone are gradually turning into spaces for the wealthiest. Such development has its consequences - not only economically, but also socially. Solutions are needed that equally consider the interests of local communities, tourists and investors, instead of pushing one vision of development at the expense of others. It is also apparent how much thinking about space has changed - decisions made a decade ago, today arouse resistance and show that spatial planning should be much more flexible and, above all, accessible. Local plans are completely illegible to the average citizen, the threshold for entry is too high.
The infrastructure itself is also a problem. Residents point out that new investments do not go hand in hand with the expansion of the road network, water supply or sewage system. Simply put - Miedzyzdroje is growing faster than it can handle. Without a comprehensive plan that takes into account not only new buildings, but also the needs of the entire city, it is difficult to talk about sustainable development.
Fortification of the shoreline
By the way, the landscape is also changing - the shoreline is being built up. It is also impossible to escape the topic of the environment. In the case of Miedzyzdroje, it is particularly important - after all, the city lies right next to the Wolin National Park. Every new development is a potential threat to protected areas and valuable natural areas. Added to this are issues of coastal erosion, destruction of natural habitats and alteration of the landscape, which for many is a common good, not a private one. Developers argue that they are operating legally and have all the required environmental approvals. However, not everyone is convinced that current regulations are really able to effectively protect the nature of the Polish coast from the effects of this coastal investment fever.
New investments in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Screen from rynekpierwotny.pl website
If we look at the coastline and new investments, we can have the impression that it is practically fortifying itself. Pobierowo, Dźwirzyno, Dziwnów, one could go on and on, but perhaps it would be appropriate to do a spatial examination of conscience?
