In an era when artificial islands are usually associated with luxury developments, airports or tourism projects, Poland created one for an entirely different purpose. Rising from the waters of the Szczecin Lagoon near Swinoujscie, the artificial island known as Wyspa Jana Zabawy-Wroblewskiego was built using dredged sand from a major shipping project. But instead of turning the new land into a commercial zone, authorities closed it to the public and transformed it into a protected sanctuary for birds and wildlife. Today, scientists are watching as nature slowly reclaims the barren island, turning it into one of the Baltic region’s most unusual conservation experiments.
How the island was created to protect life and wildlife
The island was formed during the deepening of the Szczecin-Swinoujscie shipping channel, a large infrastructure project designed to allow bigger cargo ships to travel more easily between the Baltic Sea and the Port of Szczecin. As engineers dredged the lagoon floor, they removed millions of cubic metres of sand and sediment from the waterway.Rather than disposing of the material elsewhere, Polish authorities used it to construct a new artificial island in the Szczecin Lagoon. The island was completed in 2021 and covers around 180 hectares, stretching roughly 1.2 kilometres across at its widest points.What makes the island unusual is that it was never intended for tourism or development. Public access was restricted almost immediately after construction because the area was meant to serve as a safe habitat for rare water birds and fragile wetland ecosystems.
Environmental experts viewed the project as an opportunity to offset some of the ecological disruption caused by dredging. Over time, the sandy terrain and shallow waters surrounding the island began attracting gulls, terns and migratory birds looking for undisturbed nesting grounds.Instead of roads, hotels or marinas, the island was deliberately left largely untouched so wildlife could gradually establish itself.
A real-time ecological experiment
Scientists monitoring the island have described it as a rare example of ecosystem formation happening almost from scratch. When the project was completed, the island consisted mostly of exposed sand and sediment. Since then, plants, insects and bird populations have slowly started colonising the area through a natural process known as ecological succession.Researchers are particularly interested in how quickly birds adapt to newly created habitats in the Baltic region, where coastal ecosystems have long been altered by industry, shipping and urban expansion.Because humans are largely absent from the island, scientists have a rare chance to observe how wildlife responds when given protected space to develop naturally.
The naming controversy around the island
The island also became the centre of a local naming dispute. During a public vote, many residents supported the name “Brysna,” a historic Slavic name connected to the region. However, Polish authorities later officially named the island after Jan “Zabawa” Wroblewski, a participant in the Warsaw Uprising during World War II.Although the official name remains Wyspa Jana Zabawy-Wroblewskiego, many locals and regional media outlets still continue to use Brysna informally.
Turning infrastructure into conservation
The project has increasingly been viewed as an example of how large infrastructure developments can incorporate environmental protection instead of simply reshaping landscapes for industrial purposes. While dredging operations often raise concerns about habitat destruction and ecological damage, Poland’s artificial island demonstrates how some of that impact can be redirected into conservation initiatives.Today, the island remains closed to tourists and largely untouched by human activity. What began as a practical solution for excess dredged sand has evolved into a growing refuge for wildlife, where birds arrived long before any human visitors were allowed to step ashore.
