Lake Pluszne (Pluszne Wielkie), Warmia

Lake Pluszne, officially Pluszne Wielkie, is 52 m deep – only slightly less than neighbouring Lake Łańskie (53.8 m) and Lake Wulpińskie (54.6 m). It lies among the Łańskie Forests on the Olsztynek Plain, and the whole lake is a quiet zone, so instead of roaring motorboats you are more likely to hear sails and paddles. Beneath the surface it hides stories the beach signs leave out: Second World War aircraft wrecks and an island that was used as a bombing target.

The lake in figures

Pluszne is 8.75 km long, up to 1.9 km wide and covers more than 900 ha. Its shoreline runs for 30 km, forming seven peninsulas and bays – the largest peninsula is Waszeta. The long, narrow western bay, from Zielonowo to Kołatek, is sometimes called Pluszne Małe ("Little Pluszne"), and the eastern one Moon Bay. The average depth is 15 m, and shallows of one metre, mostly with sandy bottoms, make up just under 8% of the area. The water drains via the Swaderki channel through Lake Poplusz and the Marózka river to the Łyna.

There are three islands. The largest, wooded and about 4.7 ha, lies opposite Pluski – archaeologists have found traces of an early Iron Age settlement on it and remains of an ancient lake dwelling. The Stawiguda municipality says the lake has first-class water quality and very good conditions for windsurfing.

Wartime traces under water

A small reed-covered islet in the southern part of the lake was a target during the Second World War for concrete bombs dropped by German aircraft from the nearby airfield at Gryźliny. A concrete platform stood on it and was dismantled after the war. On the beds of Pluszne and neighbouring Lake Łańskie, divers have found the wrecks of four aircraft in total, including a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.

Pluski and the rest of the shore

The most convenient base is Pluski in Stawiguda municipality, about 20 km from Olsztyn. The village was chartered on 19 August 1407 – three years before the Battle of Grunwald – and gradually turned into a summer resort. You will find a marina, a bathing beach, boat and kayak rental, a fried-fish stand, restaurants, a hotel and a sailing school. The border of Warmia once ran across the lake, and the lake takes its name from the village; before 1949 it was known in German as Gross Plautziger See. Zielonowo on the western bay also has a beach.

Tripto tip

Pluszne is a quiet zone, and using a motorboat requires a special permit – this is a lake for sailors, kayakers, paddleboarders and anglers (vendace, whitefish, pike and eel live here, among others). The beach in Pluski has no lifeguards, so keep an eye on children near deep water. The municipality reports Poland's largest cluster of the creeping lady's-tresses orchid in the forests around Pluski, as well as adders – watch your step on woodland paths. It is quietest early in the morning and outside the peak of the summer holidays.