Lake Jelonek in Gniezno

Gniezno Cathedral reflected in the still water of Lake Jelonek is a view that 19th-century artists were already drawing: a lithograph of Gniezno seen from the lakeshore was made after a drawing by Napoleon Orda, and in 1865 Stanisław Łukomski painted the cathedral from the lake side. Jelonek is a small, shallow lake in the middle of town, known locally as “Venice” (Wenecja). An archbishops' castle once stood on its shore.

The lake in numbers

Jelonek covers about 15 ha and holds 170,000 m³ of water. It is very shallow: 1.2 m on average and 2.4 m at most. The Gniezno Stream, a tributary of the Wełna, flows through it, and the lake's total catchment covers about 16 km².

A castle, a restaurant and a 500-year-old jetty

By the water stood an archbishops' castle, built on the initiative of Primate Jan Łaski around 1518 and completely demolished in 1831. In the second half of the 19th century a restaurant called “Wenecja” operated on the shore – hence the lake's nickname. In 1921 a local newspaper advertised a concert by soldiers of the 17th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment at the “Wenecja” summer venue on Lake Jelonek.

When archaeologists examined the site of the former restaurant in 1998 (now the grounds of the archdiocesan curia), they found the foundation of a previously unknown castle tower and – about 2 m down – a perfectly preserved 16th-century oak jetty. It may have served the castle or a brewery nearby. The jetty was lifted out in one piece and handed to the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State. The excavations also showed that the old shoreline lay about 30 m further east than today.

What to do at Lake Jelonek

• Walk along the shore with views of the cathedral towers on Lech Hill.
• Photograph the cathedral reflected in the water – best on a windless day, when the surface is smooth.
• Visit the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State at ul. Kostrzewskiego 1; admission to the museum is free on Sundays.

Tripto tip

The lakeshore is open to all and free. You can leave your car at the free car park opposite the museum on ul. Kostrzewskiego; coaches park on ul. Piotrowskiego, about 500 m away, and there is a city-bike station in front of the museum. Allow 30–45 minutes for a walk with photo stops, then head up Lech Hill to the cathedral. Gniezno is reached via the S5 expressway (Gniezno-Południe junction).