Lake Rożnów

Lake Rożnów, also called the Rożnów Reservoir, is a dam reservoir in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, created by damming the Dunajec River. It covers about 1,600 hectares and is 22 kilometres long, and its irregular shape resembles the letter “S”. It lies in Nowy Sącz County, about 12 kilometres north of Nowy Sącz, between Kurów and Rożnów.

Why the reservoir was built

The reservoir was built to even out the flow of the Dunajec and to ease flood waves, including on the Vistula. The project was hastened by the catastrophic flood of 1934. The dam made it possible to build the Rożnów Power Station, and the lake was created in 1941. Together with the reservoir at Czchów it forms a system of reservoirs serving flood control, energy, water supply, recreation and tourism, and navigation.

What the lake looks like

The water was dammed at the 80th kilometre of the river, within the Rożnów Foothills. The maximum depth is 30 to 35 metres and the total capacity is 167 million cubic metres. Here the Dunajec valley forms a gorge, bounded on the west by the Łososina Range and on the east by the hills of the Rożnów Foothills.

The shoreline is highly indented, with numerous peninsulas and bays. From the dam the lake forms a bend framed by the wooded Ostra Góra hill. Further on the reservoir widens at Ploso pod Zamkiem, where the shore is picturesque, and a road from Gródek nad Dunajcem to Rożnów runs along the right bank. Next comes Rogate Ploso with the Grodzisko island, known as Monkey Island, and the deep Bartkowa Bay. After that begins Szerokie Ploso, less varied in scenery, and the southern stretch is shallow and silted.

On the water

Tourist and holiday villages lie by the lake: Tęgoborze, Znamirowice, Zbyszyce, Bartkowa, Gródek nad Dunajcem, Tabaszowa and Rożnów. At Znamirowice there is a yacht marina with a water equipment rental. The Wikipedia entry states that swimming is possible across the whole area of the lake, and convenient sandy beaches can be found, among other places, in Gródek nad Dunajcem.

Near the lake stands the Castle in Gródek nad Dunajcem, and about five kilometres further the Castle in Rożnów. Near Gródek and Bartkowa there is also the Lemur Rope Park, and in Zbyszyce stands St Bartholomew's Church.

Nature

Monkey Island is an area of special landscape protection and a bird reserve. In the lake area 165 species of birds nest, among them the black stork, which appears in the backwaters on the border of Gródek and Bartkowa. The lake is gradually silting up, because the Dunajec and the streams flowing into it carry in about 1.6 million cubic metres of sediment a year.

Practical information

• Location: Nowy Sącz County, Rożnów Foothills. Nearest village: Lipie.
• The lake is freely accessible. Check the swimming rules and equipment rentals on site.