Lake Solina and the Solina Dam

Lake Solina (Jezioro Solińskie) is Poland's largest reservoir by volume and the main summer resort of the Bieszczady. It was created by a dam on the San River near the village of Solina: the lake, covering some 21–22 km², holds 472 million m³ of water, is up to 60 m deep by the dam and has a very indented shoreline of over 150 km with many bays, peninsulas and islands. To the north rise the Sanok-Turka Mountains, to the south the ranges of the Western Bieszczady.

The first plan for a hydroelectric plant on the San was drawn up as early as 1921 by Professor Karol Pomianowski, but construction began only in 1960. The dam was put into operation on 20 July 1968; more than 2,000 people worked on the site for almost nine years. The villages of Solina, Teleśnica Sanna, Horodek, Sokole, Chrewt and most of Wołkowyja were flooded — their remains still lie on the bottom. The dam, 81.8 m high and 664 m long, is the tallest hydraulic structure in Poland. Inside it run inspection galleries on four levels with a total length of over 2 km, and the power station below the dam, with four turbines, has a capacity of 200 MW.

What to see and do

• Walk along the crest of the dam — the classic stroll here: the reservoir on one side, the San valley on the other. From the crest you can see large carp fed by visitors.
• The PKL gondola lift (since 2022) — from the lower station at Plasza to the upper station on Jawor hill, 1,580 m across the dam and the lake. At the top there is a viewing tower with an open terrace, an outdoor walkway (skywalk) and a café on the 9th floor. Nearby are the 580 m "Bieszczadzka Furia" alpine coaster (for children from 3) and the "Mysterious Solina" theme park about Bieszczady legends.
• On the water: the whole lake is a quiet zone — combustion engines are banned, so people sail, kayak and windsurf. Winds are changeable and unpredictable, so beginners should take care. In summer pleasure boats run cruises.
• Polańczyk — a spa village on the western shore with marinas and beaches.
• Fishing: the lake holds zander, perch, pike, bream, catfish, carp and other species.

Practical information

Solina is easiest to reach by car via Lesko (about 15 km). Swimming is only safe at designated beaches — elsewhere the banks are steep and there are underwater obstacles. The crest of the dam is open to pedestrians. Gondola prices (operated by PKL) in the low season (2 October – 30 November 2026): return 55 zł, reduced 45 zł at the ticket office (online 49/39 zł), family ticket 2+1 129 zł, 2+2 149 zł. In the high season (30 April – 1 October 2026): 59/49 zł at the office and 55/45 zł online, family tickets 139 and 169 zł. Children under 4 ride free; a dog or an unfolded pushchair costs 10 zł each. From 16 November to 18 December 2026 the whole PKL Solina complex is closed for a technical break. The best time is May to September; in autumn the lake is especially beautiful against the coloured forests. Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

12 km away are the synagogue and Jewish cemetery in Lesko, 17 km the ruins of Sobień Castle above the San. About 25 km away are the castle with the Beksiński gallery in Sanok and the Bieszczady Forest Railway in Majdan.

Official website: pkl.pl

Lake Myczkowce

Downstream on the San, about 6 km by river below the Solina Dam, lies the smaller Lake Myczkowce (Polish Jezioro Myczkowskie), the regulating reservoir of the Solina–Myczkowce cascade. It is held back by an earth dam at the village of Myczkowce. Construction began in the 1920s to a design by Karol Pomianowski but was halted for lack of money; the dam and power plant were completed in 1956–1960. The lake covers about 2 km², is about 6 km long and holds roughly 10.5 million m³ of water. It evens out the irregular releases from the Solina power plant, so the water level here can vary by up to 3.5 m in a day. The water flows through a tunnel under Grodzisko hill to the 8.3 MW power plant in Zwierzyń.

Above the western shore rises the Berdo ridge, protected by the Nad Jeziorem Myczkowieckim landscape reserve: beech forest with rock outcrops and rare plants, including hart’s-tongue fern, Scopolia carniolica and Aconitum moldavicum. In Myczkowce itself, the Caritas centre of the Rzeszów Diocese has operated since 1994 and houses the Centre of Ecumenical Culture: 140 open-air models of Greek Catholic, Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches from south-eastern Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, with a Biblical Garden next to them.

Photos: Jendrusk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michał Derela, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michał Bulsa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.