Czernichów Beach (Lake Międzybrodzkie)

The lake beside Czernichów's beach was designed by the man who became Poland's first president. Gabriel Narutowicz, a hydraulic engineer, drew up the design for the dam on the Soła river together with Tadeusz Baecker, creating Lake Międzybrodzkie. Today the grassy beach on the Soła and the lake at Czernichów is one of the most popular summer spots in the Żywiec area of the Beskids, with a view of Mount Żar and the gliders circling above it.

The beach

The beach is in Czernichów, Żywiec county, on the Soła and Lake Międzybrodzkie, next to Międzybrodzie Żywieckie. The ground is grassy and well kept, sloping down to a sheltered cove and the river channel – from here you can pedal a pedalo out onto the open lake. In season there is deckchair and watersports equipment rental, a bar, toilets and a children's playground. According to travel guides, parking and entry are free, but there is a charge for bringing in cool boxes. Bear in mind that this is not a sandy seaside beach – some visitors report that you enter the water from a grassy and partly muddy bank.

History: Narutowicz's dam

The Porąbka dam was built in 1928–1937 in Międzybrodzie Bialskie. It is 37 m high and 260 m long, built on bedrock to a design by Professor Gabriel Narutowicz and engineer Tadeusz Baecker. Narutowicz became the first President of Poland in 1922 and was assassinated in December of that year, so he never saw it built. The dam and reservoir were formally opened on 13 December 1936 in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. Lake Międzybrodzkie covers 3.8 km², is about 5 km long and holds 26.6 million m³ of water – it was created mainly for flood protection and today also serves for recreation.

Interesting facts

The dam is called "Porąbka" even though it stands in Międzybrodzie Bialskie, about 200 m from the Porąbka boundary – the name came from the address of the construction management, where all the post was sent. A hydroelectric plant from 1951–1954 operates at the dam, forming a single complex with the pumped-storage power station on Mount Żar, opened in 1979. The reservoir is home to pike, zander, catfish, trout and bream, among other fish.

Tripto tip

On hot days the beach fills up quickly, so arrive before noon. Check the rules board at the entrance – visitors point out restrictions on bringing your own food and watersports gear. Allow half a day by the water, and if you have time, go up Mount Żar to see the lake from above.