Lake Niegocin

Niegocin is the lake on which Giżycko stands: from the town beach and concrete pier to the marinas at Wilkasy, more than 26 km² of water stretch out, crossed by the main sailing route of the Great Masurian Lakes. From here boats head north towards Lake Mamry and south to Mikołajki. In summer the lake is full of yachts; in winter, when it freezes, ice yachts skim across it.

A lake on the route

Niegocin covers 2,604 ha and is up to 39.7 m deep, making it the third-largest body of water in the Great Masurian Lakes district. It is a moraine lake with a varied bed full of hollows and shallows. The shoreline is about 35 km long; Giżycko occupies the northern shore and Wilkasy the western one. In the eastern part lies the island of Grajewska Kępa.

Two waterways lead north: the Giżycko Canal through the town centre or the Niegocin Canal via Lake Tajty. To the south, through Lake Boczne, Lake Jagodne and a chain of canals, you can sail to Lake Tałty, Lake Mikołajskie and Śniardwy, Poland's largest lake. The first record of the lake, as Negothin, dates from 1326.

What to see and do

• A boat trip from the Żegluga Mazurska port in Giżycko. The one-hour "Mazurska Panorama" cruise runs past Wilkasy and Bird Island.
• The beach and pier in Giżycko, with a park stretching west of the pier.
• The swing bridge over the Giżycko Canal, built in 1889, weighing more than 100 tonnes and turned by hand by a single operator.
• St Bruno's Cross on a hill above the lake, standing since 1910 and easy to spot from the water.
• Sailing: numerous marinas in Giżycko and Wilkasy, with regattas in summer.
• Ice yachting in winter when the surface is frozen.

Interesting facts

As late as the 16th century Niegocin and Lake Boczne were separate lakes, and there was a land crossing between Rydzewo and Bogaczewo. When the water rose, the Rydzewo parish presbytery was moved from Bogaczewo to a site near the church. In the late 1980s the lake was heavily polluted; only the new sewage treatment plant in Giżycko, opened in 1995, improved the water, and since 1998 swimming has been possible throughout Niegocin.

Tripto tip

The Żegluga Mazurska port is in Giżycko at Kolejowa 9. Cruises run in season and only sail with at least 10 passengers; in 2026 the one-hour "Mazurska Panorama" cost PLN 40, reduced PLN 30. Tickets can be bought online and shown at the ticket desk on your phone. After the cruise, walk to the swing bridge and, if you have time, on to Boyen Fortress. There are no wild camping spots around the lake, so plan to stay in Giżycko or Wilkasy.