Lake Czchów

Beyond Czchów the Dunajec widens into a long, narrow lake between steep wooded slopes. On a rock above the water stands the rebuilt Tropsztyn Castle, and at the end of the lake the concrete Czchów Dam, with a power station hidden in its body. Lake Czchów is smaller and calmer than neighbouring Lake Rożnów, but its views are just as striking.

Why the lake was built

Upstream, at Rożnów, is the Rożnów power station – a peak-load plant switched on when electricity demand is highest. Its operation caused sudden swings in water level below the dam and eroded the Dunajec banks. So in 1938 work began in Czchów on a dam and a balancing reservoir. The war interrupted it; the dam was completed in 1948, and installation of the power equipment finished in 1954.

The concrete dam is 16 metres high, with the turbines of the Czchów hydroelectric plant set into its body. Together with Rożnów, the reservoir protects against floods, evens out the river's flow, produces energy and is used for recreation.

The lake in numbers

• Area: 346 ha.
• Shoreline: 23 km.
• Width: up to 750 metres.
• Maximum depth: 9.5 metres.
• Capacity: 12 million m³.

The lake begins above the village of Tropie and stretches north towards Czchów. Its banks are steep and wooded, and its upper end reaches the mouth of the Łososina river, less marshy than the upper end of Lake Rożnów.

What it is for

The Rożnów–Czchów pair of reservoirs is a key part of water management in the Dunajec basin. They:

• protect against floods, flattening flood waves on the Dunajec and the Vistula,
• produce energy and even out the daily flow swings caused by Rożnów,
• supply water,
• support navigation on the Vistula below the Dunajec,
• serve recreation – the lake shores are used for tourism.

What to see

• Tropsztyn Castle in Wytrzyszczka – best seen from the opposite shore, reflected in the water.
• The dam with yellow gantry cranes over the spillways, visible from the road near Czchów.
• The footbridge over the lake in Tropie, with a wide view of the valley.
• The Church of Saints Andrew Zorard and Benedict in Tropie, on the lake shore.

Tripto tip

The best way to see the lake is to combine several spots: the dam in Czchów, Tropsztyn Castle and the footbridge in Tropie. Allow 2–3 hours for such a loop. In Czchów itself, look into the Gothic church with its wall paintings and climb to the castle tower on the hill.