Lake Dąbie

Lake Dąbie is a delta lake in the Lower Oder Valley, entirely within the boundaries of Szczecin. According to the Wikipedia entry it has an area of 54.08 km², which makes it 4th in Poland and 1st in the voivodeship, and it takes up 18 per cent of the city's area.

Two parts and a dozen or so islands

The lake is divided into the northern Dąbie Wielkie and the southern Dąbie Małe. It has a well-developed shoreline, up to 15 km long and up to 7.5 km wide, and the average depth is 2.61 m. Canals linking the Oder with the lake have created a dozen or so islands with a total area of 1389 ha; the largest are Dębina (516 ha) and Czarnołęka (270 ha), alongside them Mewia Wyspa, Radolin and Ostrów Grabowski.

A fairway for seagoing ships

A fairway 14.5 km long, 150 m wide and 10 m deep runs through Dąbie, linking the port of Schwedt on the Oder with the Pomeranian Bay. According to the Wikipedia entry it is the only lake in Poland accessible to seagoing vessels. The lake is on the list of inland waterways in navigability class Vb, and ship traffic is tied to the Port of Szczecin.

Marinas and harbours

On the shore there are 6 sailing marinas, 2 sailing harbours of associations and 2 tourist harbours. Among them are the PTTK “Camping Marina” with a campsite, the marina of the Euro Yacht Club “Pogoń”, the marina of the AZS Yacht Club, the marina of the Scout Maritime Centre, the tourist harbour of the Sailing Centre and the harbour in Lubczyna. Some of the facilities belong to associations, some are private or municipal.

Nature and early history

Dąbie lies entirely within the “Lower Oder Valley” Special Protection Area for birds. It is a former bay of the Szczecin Lagoon, cut off by the delta of the Ina. The first mention dates from 1226 (stagnum Damb), in 1939 the lake was incorporated in its entirety into Greater Szczecin, and the name Dąbie was introduced officially in 1949.

Practical information

• Location: the Szczecin district of Dąbie; the village of Lubczyna and the settlement of Bystra in Goleniów County also lie on the lake.
• Access to the water: through the harbours and marinas listed above; the rules of entry are set by each manager.
• Bathing sites on Dąbie: the sources do not list them, and the information is provided by the city.
• In a straight line about 7 km from the lake lies the Chrobry Embankment.