Lake Przywidzkie

People from Gdańsk were already coming to Lake Przywidzkie Wielkie for their holidays a century ago. In the days of the Free City of Danzig, the village of Przywidz – then called Mariensee – was promoted as a "Luftkurort", a fresh-air resort, and nicknamed "Little Sopot". Today this Kashubian lake south-west of Gdańsk draws visitors with a municipal bathing area rated as having excellent water, a wooded island nature reserve and a promenade dedicated to Polish rock music.

The lake in figures

Lake Przywidzkie Wielkie (its official name; the municipality's beach page calls it Przywidzkie Duże) lies in the Kashubian Lake District, in the municipality of Przywidz, on regional road 221. It is joined to the smaller Lake Przywidzkie Małe, and depending on the source the two lakes together cover between 112.5 and 131 hectares. The average depth is 5.1 m and the maximum about 12 m. The Wietcisa river flows out of the lake.

What to see

• The island reserve – covered with beech and oak woodland, the island has been a nature reserve since 1954 (about 4.5 ha, under strict protection). Some of its trees are more than 180 years old; landing is not allowed, so enjoy it from the shore or from the water.
• Traces of an early medieval stronghold on the wooded peninsula that juts into the lake from the south.
• The Czerwone Gitary Promenade with the "Roots of Rock" monument, where another Polish band is honoured every year – Kombi, Oddział Zamknięty and Wanda i Banda among them.
• The green-marked Skarszewy Trail, which runs past the lake.

History: from Mariensee to "Little Sopot"

Przywidz appears in a document from 1294, when the Pomeranian duke Mestwin II granted the estate to the Cistercians of Eldena. After 1920 the village became part of the Free City of Danzig, and that is when Danzig residents discovered Mariensee as a place to relax. After the war the tradition of weekend trips, children's summer camps and workers' holidays returned. Today there is a campsite, holiday centres and private rooms by the lake, and every summer the village hosts the RockBlu Przywidz Festival.

Municipal bathing area

The municipality runs a supervised bathing area at the beach in Przywidz. In the 2026 season it was open from 26 June to 31 August, and the water quality was classified as excellent. According to the official water profile, the bottom is sandy and slopes gently; the lake itself is stratified and rich in calcium. The municipal website publishes the rules for the beach, the floating jetty and the inflatable obstacle course, together with the latest water quality reports.

Tripto tip

• Before you go, check the municipality's website for the current water quality notice and season dates, as they change every year.
• Allow half a day for the beach; if you want to see the island and the peninsula from several angles, add a walk along the trail.
• Outside the summer season the lake is quiet and the wooded island is at its most striking.
• In Przywidz, look into the Church of Our Lady Queen of the Rosary, a former Protestant church from 1909 that is a listed monument.