Nakło-Chechło Lake

As late as the 1960s, excavators were at work here, digging sand used to backfill underground coal mine workings. Today Nakło-Chechło Lake (officially Jezioro Chechło-Nakło) is a body of water of about 90 hectares surrounded by pine forest, with sandy beaches, a wooded island and a lifeguarded bathing area in summer. It lies in the municipality of Świerklaniec, between Nakło Śląskie and Nowe Chechło, just outside Tarnowskie Góry.

From sand pit to lake

The pit belonged to the "Siemonia" backfill sand mine. When extraction ended in 1968, the Tarnowskie Góry district authorities decided to turn the disused sand pit into a large sports and leisure centre. According to the municipality, it was meant to be much bigger than the reservoir being built at the same time in Pniowiec. The lake bed was shaped, and lupins were sown around its edges to enrich the soil before grass was planted.

Once the drainage pumps were switched off, the basin filled with groundwater and rainwater. The official opening took place on 27 June 1970. The lake holds about 1.5 million m³ of water and has no permanent outflow, so its level varies with rainfall and evaporation.

Bathing area, beaches and water sports

The site is run by the municipality of Świerklaniec, which in December 2024 signed a 24-year lease on the land with the State Forests. In summer it operates a lifeguarded bathing area at the Pole Biwakowe campsite, with electricity, running water, toilets, changing rooms and showers. Water quality results are published on the municipality's website during the season. Around the shore you will find beaches, holiday centres, food outlets and equipment hire, and the lake is used for kayaking, sailing and fishing.

Fees (municipal order of 16 December 2024)

• Car entry: PLN 10 on weekdays and after 18:00 at weekends and on public holidays, PLN 20 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays before 18:00.
• Motorcycle: PLN 5 or PLN 10 on the same basis, annual pass PLN 200.
• Pole Biwakowe campsite: tent PLN 20 per night, caravan or camper PLN 50 per night, stay fee PLN 25 per person, children under 7 free.

Holders of the Świerklaniec Resident Card and of a disabled parking card do not pay the entry fee. Paying the entry fee does not cover any later parking charge at the Pole Biwakowe campsite.

Tripto tip

• Getting there: regional road 908 from Tarnowskie Góry to Miasteczko Śląskie runs nearby, and local roads lead to the water from Nakło Śląskie and Nowe Chechło. From Nakło you can also walk a waymarked trail through the forest.
• When to go: on hot weekends arrive early, as entry costs more and the car parks fill quickly. Out of season it is a quiet place for a walk or a bike ride around the lake.
• Swimming: outside the designated bathing area you swim at your own risk.
• Nearby: the Upper Silesian Narrow-Gauge Railway runs past the lake and carries tourists in season. In Tarnowskie Góry itself you can visit the Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit.