Iława Lake District Landscape Park

Lake Jeziorak stretches for 27.5 kilometres, making it the longest lake in Poland — and in 1993 the Iława Lake District Landscape Park was created around it. The lake has 17 islands, and cormorants, herons and white-tailed eagles nest in the forests on its western shore. This is a park for anyone who wants to explore a post-glacial landscape by kayak, sailing boat or on a nature trail.

Lakes, islands and forests

The park covers about 250 km² on the border of the Warmian-Masurian and Pomeranian regions. According to the park authority, forests cover 62% of its area and lakes 27%. The landscape was shaped by the ice sheet: terminal moraine hills, outwash plains and glacial troughs filled with water. Jeziorak is a ribbon lake 27.45 km long with an area of over 31 km², and its old name, Geserich, probably comes from an Old Prussian word for heron.

The largest island on Jeziorak, Wielka Żuława, covers about 82 ha and administratively belongs to the town of Iława; it has holiday resorts and is reached by ferry. The smaller Czaplak is protected as an ecological site. Naturalists particularly value Lake Jasne, whose water is so clear that visibility reaches as much as 15 metres.

Reserves and birds

There are three nature reserves in the park. Czerwica protects a bird colony: according to the Pomorskie.travel portal there are about 200 cormorant nests and 140 grey heron nests, and the area is a hunting ground for white-tailed eagles. Jezioro Gaudy is a refuge for waterbirds and wetland species, while Jasne covers lakes Jasne and Luba with their peat bogs. Red deer, elk and beavers live in the forests, wolves sometimes appear in winter, and ospreys and cranes can be spotted overhead.

Walking trails

• "Jasne" — a loop of about 3 km from the forest car park on the Iława–Jerzwałd road, with 23 information boards, leading to the reserve around Lake Jasne.
• "Solniki" — a 14 km loop from Siemiany on Lake Jeziorak through the Jasne and Czerwica reserves to the abandoned village of Solnik, once home to a glassworks and a sawmill.
• "Silm" — a loop of about 2 km at the edge of Iława (road no. 16), with an observation shelter by the forest lake Silm.

Tripto tips

The "Jasne" trail takes 1–2 hours; allow half a day for the "Solniki" loop. You will see most of the park from the water: Jeziorak is part of a navigable route linked to the Elbląg Canal, and equipment hire is easy to find in Iława. During the nesting season keep well away from islands with bird colonies and do not paddle into the reserves.