Lake Rożnów (Jezioro Rożnowskie)

Lake Rożnów (Jezioro Rożnowskie) is a reservoir on the Dunajec in Lesser Poland, about 12 km north of Nowy Sącz. It formed after a dam was built at the village of Rożnów: here the Dunajec cuts through the Rożnów Foothills, while on the west the valley is bounded by the Łososina range of the Beskid Wyspowy. The reservoir covers about 16 km², is 18–22 km long depending on the water level and mostly about 1 km wide; it is 30–35 m deep at the dam and holds 167 million m³. The water level is about 265 m above sea level.

The lake's outline resembles an irregular "S". From the dam a narrow loop runs between the wooded Ostra Góra (459 m) and the Łaziska hill, then comes the reach below the castle, and beyond the narrows between Tabaszowa and Wiesiółka the most beautiful part, the "Horned Reach", with peninsulas, fjord-like bays and Grodzisko island, nicknamed Monkey Island. The southern part of the lake is shallow and gradually silting up: about 1.6 million m³ of gravel and mud settle here every year.

Construction of the dam began in June 1935 to a design by Professor Karol Pomianowski — the decision was hastened by the catastrophic Dunajec flood of July 1934. It was completed in 1941, under German occupation; in 1939–1942 prisoners of a labour camp, mostly from the Jewish ghetto in Nowy Sącz, worked here, and many of them were shot. The concrete dam, 550 m long and 32.5 m high, houses a four-turbine hydroelectric plant and a fish pass. The reservoir protects the Dunajec and Vistula valleys from floods, produces electricity and has become a popular holiday spot.

What to see and do

• The Rożnów dam — a view of the reservoir and the Dunajec valley; nearby in the village are the ruins of a Gothic castle once owned by the famous 15th-century knight Zawisza Czarny, and the unfinished Renaissance fortress of Hetman Jan Tarnowski.
• Grodzisko island — a bird reserve; 165 bird species nest around the lake, including the rare black stork.
• Water and beaches — Gródek nad Dunajcem has a sandy beach and Znamirowice a marina with boat hire; sailing and angling are very popular.
• Viewpoints — from Tabaszowa hill you can see the Horned Reach with its islands.

How to get there

The lake is easy to explore by car: national road 75 runs from Nowy Sącz along the eastern shore through Tęgoborze, and local roads lead to Gródek nad Dunajcem and Rożnów. Around the lake there are several holiday villages — Tęgoborze, Znamirowice, Zbyszyce, Bartkowa, Gródek nad Dunajcem, Tabaszowa and Rożnów. For a walk, try the Tęgoborze – Białowodzka Góra (chapel) route with views of the lake; the long Tarnów – Wielki Rogacz trail also passes nearby. It is a place for family holidays: the shores are accessible and the walks are easy.

Season and safety

The best time is June to September, when the beaches and marinas are open; in spring and autumn it is quiet and lovely for walks and photography. Swim only at designated bathing sites: the water level of the reservoir varies, and shallows and mud appear in the southern part. In winter the lake often freezes, but walking on the ice is dangerous. In an emergency call 112.

Nearby

• Sądecki Ethnographic Park (Nowy Sącz open-air museum) — an open-air museum.
• Stary Sącz: market square and Poor Clares' convent — one of the prettiest small towns in the region.

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; krysi@, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Lasoń, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.