Bierzwnik 2024-10-30

Bierzwnik Railway Station.

Geographic coordinates: 53.024N 15.657E. Elevation 77.00 m (252.62 ft). Address Dworzec kolejowy 3, 73-240 Bierzwnik.

Bierzwnik village.

Bierzwnik village is located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in Choszczno County, Bierzwnik Commune. The village forms a village council together with the Smędowa colony. The population of the village was 1,106 people in 2022. In 2007, the population was 1,152 inhabitants. From the village of Bierzwnik to: Choszczno is 25 km. Szczecin is 98 km. Poznań is 122 km. The village is crossed by the provincial road No. 160 km. Lake Kuchta is within the village boundaries. Geographically, Bierzwnik lies in the Dobiegniew Lakeland, on the border of the Drawsko Forest. In the village there is a complex of the former Cistercian OO monastery, which was built in the period 1347-1355. Currently, it is a Roman Catholic parish, Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Scapular. The school complex is the heir to the heritage of the Cistercian Fathers. There are ruins of a brewery and a granary in the village.

Bierzwnik Railway.

The railway station on the new LK Stargard – Krzyż Wielkopolski – Poznań was built in 1848, as a technical station. At that time it received the Germanic name Marienwalde. In the period 1945-1947, the station was called Marzenin Kraiński, and since 1947, Bierzwnik. Currently, it is LK No. 351 Poznań Główny – Szczecin Główny. Bierzwnik railway station is located at 115.364 km of the LK. It is 8.713 km to PKP Dobiegniew. It is 5.464 km to PKP Rębusz. The distance from the center of the village of Bierzwnik to the railway station is about 800 m.

Railway line No. 351 Poznań Główny – Szczecin Główny, is a mostly double-track line, of national importance, electrified with 3 kV DC. The line runs from the south-east to the north-west. Line length 213,500 km. Maximum speed 160 km/h. The electrification of LK No. 351 took place in stages; On June 27, 1975, Poznań Główny – Rokietnica. On September 8, 1977, Rokietnica – Krzyż. On June 21, 1978, Krzyż – Choszczno. On December 15, 1978, Choszczno – Szczecin.

The station was built on the village side, on the north-east side, right next to the railway crossing along Dworcowa Street. Dworcowa Street is a county street and leads to the forestry and summer village of Ostromecko on Lake Bierzwnik. Bierzwnik station is a small, multi-body building. The main part of the building is two-storey. There was an apartment on the upper floor. Two single-storey wings were added to the building. There was a warehouse on the Stargard side. On the track side there is an extension acting as the “Bi” signal box. The building is covered with a roof with a small slope.

There was never a water tower or locomotive shed at Bierzwnik station. There was a 40-ton wagon scale at the station, until 1956, and in the period 1956-1990 a 41-ton scale. There were two signal boxes at the station: “Bi” in the station building and “Bi1” in the station head on the Stargard side. After a major modernization of LK No. 351, in the period 2021-2024, computer control was introduced, and the automation was placed in a container building. The semaphores are light.

The new platforms have been included in the new track layout of the station. Platform 2 is an island, double-edged, 200 m long, with a 30 m long roof. The platform height is 0.76 m, from the railhead. On the platform there are benches, rests, railway information display cases, audio system, monitoring, lighting, waste bins. Tracks No. 2 and No. 4 run next to the platform. Access to Platform 2 is via a sidewalk from the side of the railway crossing and is accessible to people in wheelchairs. Platform 1 is single-edged from the village side. The platform has been moved towards the Krzyż Wielkopolski station. It is 200 m long and 0.76 m high from the railhead. The platform is at track No. 1. The platform has bus shelters, benches, rests, information display cases, audio system, lighting, and monitoring. Access to Platform 1 is from the side of the rail-road crossing.

The station is served by PolRegio trains. On October 29, 2024, 12 trains departed from the station to: Poznań Główny, Szczecin Główny, Świnoujście Port. The station serves up to 50 passengers per day.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman