Rzęsa Pond in Siemianowice Śląskie

Rzęsa is the largest pond in Siemianowice Śląskie and the heart of the Bażantarnia nature and recreation area on the edge of town. Water has filled a former sand pit here, and today the pools are ringed by walking and cycling paths, a brine graduation tower, a dinosaur clearing and a nature-themed playground.

From sand pit to pond

Sand was still being dug here in the 1950s. Once extraction stopped, water filled the pit, and the wasteland was taken over by grassland and birch woods, home to foxes, pheasants and roe deer among others. The pond covers about 13.2 ha, with an average depth of 1.5 m and up to 3 m in places. Layers of post-glacial sediment are visible in the banks, a reminder of the area's geological past. Rzęsa belongs to the extensive Bażantarnia zone, about 200 ha in size and roughly 3 km from the centre of the Bańgów district, with woodland, a shooting range, further ponds and a golf course nearby.

What surrounds the water

• Brine graduation tower – opened on 11 July 2019 just behind the outdoor gym and funded from the participatory budget. It is the smallest graduation tower in the metropolis, but it is popular with people who come for open-air inhalation.
• Dinosaur clearing with models of prehistoric reptiles and an adjacent playground built for more than PLN 618,000, with play equipment shaped like storks, frogs, reeds and blades of grass.
• The meadows by the pond, where the town holds summer events such as open-air film screenings.

Tripto tips

• A full loop around the pools with a break at the graduation tower and playground takes about 1.5–2 hours. For a longer walk, combine Rzęsa with the forest avenues of Bażantarnia.
• Waterbirds are easier to watch in the morning and evening, while on warm weekends the playground and graduation tower can get crowded.