Lake Winiary, Gniezno

Lake Winiary, known to locals simply as "Łazienki" (the Baths), is the largest body of water in Gniezno. It lies north-east of the city centre, between the Tysiąclecia and Winiary housing estates, and in summer serves as the town beach. A recreational path circles the water, and the southern shore is taken up by the large 25th Anniversary Park (Park XXV-lecia) – a good place to rest, run or swim after visiting the cathedral.

The lake in numbers

• Area: about 19 ha, shoreline about 2.5 km.
• Depth: on average about 2.5–4 m – a shallow lake.
• 25th Anniversary Park: 17.82 ha of green space along the southern shore.
• Surroundings: national road 15 runs along the north side, and the "Gród Lecha" allotment gardens border the north-east shore.

A canal links Winiary with the small Lake Koszyk and with Lake Wełnickie on the city boundary. There are water intakes by the lake that supply residents with drinking water.

What to do at Winiary

• Walking, running and cycling – the path around the lake is about 2.5 km, so a full lap on foot takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes.
• Swimming – in the 2026 season the bathing area on Lake Winiary operated from 27 June to 31 August; a sandy beach opens in summer.
• Wakeboarding – a wakeboard course opened here in 2017; check whether it is running before you bring your board.
• Fishing – the lake is a public fishery of the Polish Angling Association, looked after by PZW Club No. 8 "Miasto Gniezno". Anglers catch carp, grass carp, perch, pike, zander, tench and eel; a PZW permit is required.

Tripto tips

The area around the lake is open to everyone all year round. For the bathing area, head towards ul. Łazienki. Outside the bathing season the beach is unsupervised, so do not go into the water then. The next season's dates are set before the summer – you will find them in that year's list of official bathing sites. The lake is an easy bike ride from the centre, and a day by the water combines well with Lech Hill and the cathedral.