Lakes

Zielona Reservoir in Kalety

In Zielona, the eastern district of Kalety, the Mała Panew river spreads into two reservoirs linked by an embankment — the Zielona reservoir. The area, called the forest nook of Silesia, combines mining history with recreation: the smaller pond has existed since the Middle Ages, the larger one was dammed in the 1970s.

From iron ore to recreation

The lower, 20-hectare pond was created as early as the 14th century — iron ore mining formed an excavation that was later flooded, and before the war carp were farmed here. The upper, 60-hectare reservoir was built in 1970–1971 by damming the Mała Panew. On an island in the smaller pond stands a restored historic wooden windmill.

The embankment, beavers and the Zielona Loop

Cars do not drive around the reservoirs; a marked educational path, the Zielona Loop (Zielona Pętla), runs 9 km around them — a route for cycling and Nordic walking, and for cross-country skiing in winter. Five stops introduce the local nature, including beaver lodges — the animals have taken a liking to the reservoir's clean water. In summer the beaches are open — a wide sandy one opposite the windmill — along with a water equipment rental; picnic shelters stand by the lower pond, and in winter winter swimmers bathe here.

Practical information

Entry is free, the grounds are available around the clock and friendly to prams and dogs. Car parks: Stawowa Street or Ofiar Katynia Street by the palace — a former hunting residence of the Donnersmarck family built in 1860–1861, currently under renovation and closed to visitors. Nearby grows the Tree of Freedom, an oak planted by Silesian insurgents in early 1945.