Lake Pile

Pile is the largest lake of the Szczecinek Lakeland. It covers about 980 hectares, is 9,150 m long and has 31 kilometres of shoreline, and on its banks lie the town of Borne Sulinowo and the villages of Piława, Dąbrowica and Silnowo. This ribbon lake is surrounded mainly by forests, and its bed is varied, with an underwater pine forest.

The lake in numbers

The average depth is 11.7 m and the maximum 43.9 m. The water surface lies 130.1 m above sea level. It is fed from the west by the Piława River, which flows out of Lake Komorze, and from the east by the Sowia Struga stream. Excess water flows south along the Piława to the Gwda. The shoreline is very indented, so there are many bays and capes. The lake lies in the Drawsko Lakeland protected landscape area.

Former names

In the sources the lake appears as early as 1224 as Hisbitsma. Later records include Pyleborrh from 1549, and in the 18th and 20th centuries the German names Pielburgschen See and Grosser Pielburgersee. The register of geographical names gives Pile as the official name, and Piława and Iżbiczno as variants.

Beaches and fishing

In 1995 the lake had not yet been developed for tourism, although individual tourism operated to a limited extent. According to the Wikipedia entry, in 2023 two designated bathing areas operated on the lake: Marina Beach (Plaża Marina) and Sunny Beach (Plaża Słoneczna). The lake's waters belong to a fishing district in which fishery management is carried out by the Czaplinek Fishery, and anglers should check the fishing rules with the administrator.

The water quality was assessed in 2020 as good ecological status, that is, the second class. The transparency of the water was then 2.7 m. The chemical status was classified as below good because of pollutants detected in fish tissue and in the water. Current notices about bathing areas are given by the sanitary services and the municipality.

Nearby

In Borne Sulinowo, a few kilometres from the lake, the Museum of Military History operates.

Practical information

• Location: Szczecinek County, Borne Sulinowo municipality; national road no. 20 runs to the north of the lake.
• Bathing areas: Marina Beach and Sunny Beach (the situation in 2023 according to the entry); check the season and rules with the municipality.
• The underwater pine forest is a feature of the bed, not a route for visitors. Where and on what terms diving there is allowed is set by the lake's manager.