Lake Ślesin

Lake Ślesin has a feature most Polish lakes lack: in summer its water is on average 4–6 °C warmer. This is due to the nearby power stations in Konin and Pątnów, for which the lake is part of the cooling circuit. Warm water, a long glacial lake and a small town with a marina on its shore have made Ślesin one of the main water resorts of eastern Greater Poland.

A lake in a power-station circuit

This is a glacial ribbon lake in the municipality of Ślesin. In summer it receives warm water pumped through a discharge canal from Lake Licheń. The higher temperature encouraged plant growth, so herbivorous Asian fish – grass carp and silver and bighead carp – were introduced and restored the balance. The outflow of the discharge canal, known locally as "the Siphon", is on the eastern shore near the village of Głębockie and has become a small attraction in its own right.

The lake is also part of the Ślesin Canal – a 32-km waterway between the Warta river and Lake Gopło, opened in 1949. It runs through a chain of lakes, Pątnowskie, Wąsosko-Mikorzyńskie and Ślesińskie, and on through Lake Czarne towards Gopło. Construction began in 1937: that summer more than a thousand unemployed workers dug the section between the Warta and Lake Pątnów by hand, with shovels. The war halted the works, and the canal was only completed after 1945.

Ślesin from the water

A marina opened in Ślesin in 2010, and in 2012 a promenade along the lake from the town park towards Mikorzyn, with a playground, outdoor gym and skatepark. In the communist era, cruises to Lake Gopło on the small ship "Pawełek" were a big draw; the ship was later moored in Ślesin.

What to do

• Walk the promenade with views of yachts and wooded shores.
• Swim and try water sports – the lake hosts water-skiing training and competitions; every summer students from a Łódź club set up a slalom course here.
• Wakeboarding – open competitions have been held at the end of August since 2004, and the lake has hosted European powerboat championships.
• Sail or take a boat from the marina towards Lake Mikorzyn.

Tripto tip

The best time is July and August, when the water is warmest, and early autumn for a quiet walk. Start at the market square and Napoleon's Arch, then go down to the promenade and the marina. An hour is enough for a walk; for swimming and water sports, plan half a day. The Licheń sanctuary is about 6 km away.