Lake Międzybrodzie (Jezioro Międzybrodzkie)

Lake Międzybrodzie (Jezioro Międzybrodzkie), or the Międzybrodzie Reservoir, is an artificial lake on the Soła river in the Beskid Mały (Little Beskids), in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. It fills the narrow gorge where the Soła cuts through the mountains and divides the Beskid Mały in two: the slopes of Mount Żar rise above the water to the east, and the Magurka Wilkowicka massif to the west. It is the middle of the three reservoirs of the so-called Soła cascade: upstream lies Lake Żywiec (Jezioro Żywieckie), downstream Lake Czaniec.

The water surface is about 3.8 km², the volume 26.6 million m³ and the length from north to south about 5 km (up to 6.5 km at the highest level, according to hydrologists). The normal water level is 320 m above sea level, the maximum depth 19 m and the average depth over 8 m. The lake is held back by the Porąbka concrete gravity dam, 37–38 m high and 260 m long. Despite its name it stands in the village of Międzybrodzie Bialskie, 200 m from the boundary with Porąbka: the name stuck from the address of the construction office.

The idea of a dam came after the great flood of 1903 — the first plans for the Soła gorge were drawn up as early as 1906. The final design was prepared under the guidance of Professor Gabriel Narutowicz (later the first President of Poland) and engineer Tadeusz Baecker; preparations began in 1921 and the main construction took place in the 1930s. The dam and reservoir were formally opened on 13 December 1936, and filling was completed in November 1938. The lake's main task is flood protection; it is also a water reserve. In 1951–1954 a hydroelectric power station was built at the dam, and in 1979 the Porąbka-Żar pumped-storage power station: an upper reservoir holding 2.31 million m³ was built on the summit of Żar, the highest-lying reservoir of its type in Poland. The lake was drained twice, in 1956 and 1965, to remove silt from the bottom and repair underwater structures.

What to see and do

• Mount Żar (761 m) — since 2004 a 1,300 m funicular has climbed to the top in 5.5 minutes; from the viewpoint you see the Żywiec Basin with Lake Żywiec and the Silesian and Żywiec Beskids. A gliding school operates at the foot of the mountain and paragliders take off here.
• The Porąbka dam — the Mały Szlak Beskidzki trail crosses above it.
• Water and fishing — Międzybrodzie has marinas renting kayaks, canoes, SUP boards, pedalos and boats; the lake holds pike, zander, carp, perch, trout, wels catfish and other fish.
• Mountain trails — trails lead from the shores to Czupel (933 m), the highest summit of the Beskid Mały, to Magurka Wilkowicka, Chrobacza Łąka, Żar and the Kocierz range.

How to get there

The road from Kęty to Żywiec runs along the western shore, so the lake is easy to reach by car from Bielsko-Biała or Żywiec; the villages of Międzybrodzie Bialskie and Międzybrodzie Żywieckie in the commune of Czernichów lie on its banks. Walks along the shore and to the dam are easy and suitable for children. There is a paid car park at the lower station of the Żar funicular; the road to the summit is open only to authorised vehicles. On foot, Żar is reached by the trails Międzybrodzie Żywieckie III – Żar (black trail) and Międzybrodzie Żywieckie III – Żar (green trail); from the car park along the asphalt road via the Isepnicka pass it takes about 2 h. From the dam the Mały Szlak Beskidzki climbs to Żar and on to the Kocierska pass. Czupel is a little under 2 h from Międzybrodzie Bialskie on the red and then the blue trail (fairly steep), and from there half an hour to the hut on Magurka Wilkowicka; the trail Straconka – Międzybrodzie Bialskie also comes down to Międzybrodzie Bialskie.

Season and safety

The lake is open all year with no tickets; the water season and boat hire run in summer. We found no official swimming rules, so swim only at designated places and keep out of the water near the dam. The water level is regulated, so the banks may be exposed. In winter two lifts with ski runs operate on Żar. Mountain rescue is provided by GOPR: 985 or 601 100 300; the general emergency number is 112.

Nearby

• Lake Żywiec (Jezioro Żywieckie) — the largest reservoir of the Soła cascade, upstream.
• Mount Żar with the upper reservoir of the power station and its panorama.
• Czupel (933 m) and Magurka Wilkowicka — the highest summits of the Beskid Mały above the western shore.

Photos: Maciurella, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jacek Juszkiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Marsilar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michał Płachta (micio), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons; Janericloebe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; No machine-readable author provided. WitekTHC assumed (based on copyright..., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.