Darłowo marks 528 years since historic “sea bear” flood with procession

This Sunday, September 14, the streets of Darłowo will host a historic penitential procession commemorating the city’s worst-ever maritime flood. The 1497 disaster, remembered in chronicles as the “Sea Bear,” devastated the port, flooded warehouses, and washed four moored vessels ashore — one was carried as far as today’s Żukowo Morskie.

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13 september 2025   |   23:44   |   Source: Gazeta Morska / PAP   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Miasto Darłowo

The anniversary events will begin at 17:00 with vespers in St. Gertrude’s Church, followed by a procession through Św. Gertrudy, Wieniawskiego, Chopina, Morska and Wenedów streets. The solemn march will feature clergy, city officials, the Honor Guard of the Maritime School, residents, and visitors, accompanied by the Sławno Brass Band. A mass in the Marian Church will conclude the event, with the mayor presenting a votive candle — a gesture traditionally made by Darłowo’s leaders since the flood.

Modern geological research suggests that the 1497 event was likely a tsunami triggered by an earthquake near Sweden’s Lake Vänern, possibly amplified by a methane gas release from the Baltic seabed — an explanation for the “roaring” sound reported before the wave struck.

Today, Darłowo is a port town of about 13,000 inhabitants located on Poland’s Baltic coast, at the mouth of the Wieprza and Grabowa rivers. Its harbor and eastern district, Darłówko, remain significant for maritime tourism and local shipping.

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