Kuźnica Warężyńska Reservoir (Pogoria IV)

The Kuźnica Warężyńska Reservoir, known locally simply as Pogoria IV, is the youngest and largest lake in the Dąbrowa Lake District: 560 ha of water in a former sand pit, up to 23 m deep. It lies within Dąbrowa Górnicza and the municipality of Siewierz, its shores a mix of forest, meadows and marshy hollows. It makes a good destination for a long walk or a bike loop, away from the busy beaches of Pogoria III.

History: from sand pit to lake

For more than 30 years this was a quarry for backfill sand, named after the nearby village of Kuźnica Warężyńska. Once extraction ended, the steep pit walls were reshaped and stabilised, and the lower section was closed off with a main dam. The reservoir was officially opened on 25 August 2005. The name "Pogoria IV" is unofficial – the lake lies outside the Pogoria catchment and is fed by the Czarna Przemsza and Trzebyczka rivers, whose water enters over stone cascades that add oxygen.

A lake with a job

The reservoir's main role is not leisure but flood protection. Together with Przeczyce and Pogoria III it forms a system run by the Polish Waters authority in Gliwice, catching flood waves on the Czarna Przemsza – which matters most to the people of Będzin downstream. The dam has a three-bay weir, and two steel pipelines 216 m long can transfer water to Pogoria III when needed. The reservoir holds about 51–52 million m³, and its shoreline runs to roughly 13 km.

What to see

• The shallow bay with islets in the middle section – the sandy islands attract rare birds that normally nest on river sandbars.
• The "Lipienniki w Dąbrowie Górniczej" Natura 2000 site along the eastern shore – wet hollows with at least 25 strictly protected plant species, including the fen orchid.
• The main dam on the Pogoria III side, where you can see how close the two lakes are.
• The deep northern basin – here the bottom drops to 23 m, while the south and the western shore have broad shallows.

Tripto tips

Almost 10 km of service road along the eastern shore is open to walkers and cyclists, and an asphalt path also follows the southern and western banks. Allow 2–3 hours for a loop with stops. Keep in mind that this is not a bathing lake – there is no designated swimming area, and the bottom is uneven and full of obstacles; motorboats are banned, while angling, sailing and windsurfing are allowed. Do not drive onto the shore – barriers have been put up and the area is patrolled by police. A hiking trail runs along the southern side, and the Błędów Desert and the Eagles' Nests Landscape Park are less than 20 km away.