Biskupice-Brzózki Reservoir and Knights' Fort, Byczyna

The Biskupice-Brzózki reservoir was not built for sunbathers but to save the groundwater — west of Byczyna its level had dropped markedly. Built in 1995–1996 on the Pratwa river, the reservoir covers 42 ha, and on an island surrounded by a natural moat stands the wooden Knights' Fort (Gród Rycerski), where knightly brotherhoods from Poland and the Czech Republic train. It is a good spot for fishing, cycling and a family day with some history thrown in.

A reservoir with a mission

The Pratwa is a roughly 30 km left-bank tributary of the Prosna and the main river of the Byczyna municipality. At its 14th kilometre, below Kochłowice, it was dammed to create a retention reservoir holding 535,000 m³, which can eventually be increased by another 237,000 m³; the flood area reaches 100 ha. The main aim was water management; recreation came later, together with the fort.

A fort on the island

The idea of a wooden fort was born at Byczyna's first Medieval Fair in 2003. Together with the Czech town of Zlaté Hory and a fencing brotherhood from Jeseník, the municipality prepared the project "Polish-Czech Knights' Training Centre", funded by the EU's INTERREG III A programme and carried out from May 2005 to December 2007. The fort, looked after by the Byczyna Cultural Centre, stands on an island by the reservoir. It hosts knightly training and fencing lessons, battle re-enactments, horseback tournaments, executioner shows and workshops in archery, blacksmithing, pottery and coin minting, and since 2009 Byczyna has organised an annual march of a knights' banner with a baggage train to Grunwald. In 2024 the fort also hosted the Black Silesia Open Air metal festival.

What to look for

• The island with the fort, surrounded by a natural moat.
• The fort's wooden defences and buildings, styled on medieval ones.
• The Pratwa valley below the dam, where the river runs in its own bed again.

Tripto tip

The reservoir is popular with anglers, cyclists and water-sports fans. Check access to the fort, opening hours and event dates with the Byczyna Cultural Centre before you go — tournaments and re-enactments draw the biggest crowds. About an hour is enough for a walk along the shore and a look at the fort from outside. Combine the visit with Byczyna itself, a town that has long promoted itself as "Knightly Byczyna".