Lake Miedwie

The surface of Lake Miedwie lies 14 metres above sea level, but at its deepest point the bed drops almost 30 metres below sea level. It is Poland's largest cryptodepression and the lowest point in the country. On the surface it all looks perfectly ordinary: a broad lake among fields between Szczecin and Stargard, with beaches, piers and sails along the northern shore.

A lake raised by monks

Miedwie covers 35.3 km², making it the fifth-largest lake in Poland, and is 43.8 m deep. The shoreline is about 39 km long, and at its widest the lake measures 3.2 km. It is a remnant of a large basin where meltwater from the retreating ice sheet collected.

In the Middle Ages the Cistercian monks of Kołbacz dammed the Płonia river and raised the lake level by about 2 metres, setting up fish ponds on the flooded shallows. Centuries later, in the 18th century, Frederick the Great had the water level lowered by 2.5 m to gain farmland. Since 1976 the lake has supplied drinking water to Szczecin, which draws about 100,000 m³ from it every day.

Things to do at Miedwie

• Beaches and swimming: near the shore the bottom stays shallow and firm for a long way before dropping sharply. Resorts and bathing areas can be found in Morzyczyn, Zieleniewo, Kunowo, Jęczydół, Wierzchląd, Koszewko and Żelewo, among others.
• The amphitheatre in Morzyczyn, shaped like a sail rising from the water.
• Sailing, kayaking and diving at the northern end of the lake.
• Cycling: a trail around the lake runs through Morzyczyn, Brodogóry, Giżyn, Kołbacz and Kobylanka.
• Fishing: the lake is home to the local Miedwie whitefish, vendace, zander, eel and pike.

Interesting facts

In the late 1940s relict organisms from the Ice Age were found here, including crustaceans that apart from Miedwie live only in Alpine waters and in Scandinavia. The lake's name most likely comes from the Slavic word for honey. During the Second World War a German torpedo testing station operated on the lake.

Tripto tip

For the beach, head to the northern shore at Morzyczyn or Zieleniewo, where the banks are flat and sheltered by parkland trees. The eastern shore is steep or marshy and lined with reeds, but rich in waterbirds. The nearest railway station, Miedwiecko, is about 1.5 km from Morzyczyn. The northern shore is about 20 km from central Szczecin. While you are here, visit nearby Kołbacz, where the church of the former Cistercian abbey stands, whose monks reshaped the lake centuries ago.