Lake Miedwie

Lake Miedwie is a lake in the south-eastern part of the Szczecin Coastland, on the Pyrzyce Plain. According to the Wikipedia entry it covers 35.27 km², which makes it the fifth largest lake in Poland and the second after Lake Dąbie in the voivodeship. The shoreline is about 39 km long, and the shores are treeless, marshy in the southern part.

The largest cryptodepression in Poland

The water surface lies at 14 m above sea level, and the depth reaches 43.8 m, which according to the entry makes the lake the largest cryptodepression in Poland (the bottom is 29.8 m below sea level). The Płonia flows through the lake, and near Żelewo there is an intake of drinking water for Szczecin. The waters are home to, among others, the Miedwie vendace, a native species.

Early and wartime history

Until 1746 the lake covered almost 4.2 thousand ha, but in the middle of the 18th century, on the orders of Frederick the Great, the surrounding area was drained, and the water level fell by 2.5 m. During the Second World War a torpedo testing station of the torpedo works Gerätewerke Pommern Madüsee operated on the lake. On the eastern shore in Kluczewo, a Red Army air base was located until 1993. In 1976 a weir regulating the outflow of water was built.

Leisure by the water

According to the entry, by the lake there are many holiday centres with water equipment hire and bathing sites: Wierzchląd, Koszewko and Koszewo in Stargard municipality, Wierzbno and Turze in Pyrzyce municipality, Żelewo in Stare Czarnowo municipality, and Kunowo, Jęczydół, Morzyczyn and Zieleniewo in Kobylanka municipality. The nearest railway station is Miedwiecko, about 1.5 km from Morzyczyn.

Trails

A cycling trail runs around the lake (Morzyczyn, Brodogóry, Giżyn, Kołbacz, Kobylanka, Morzyczyn). There are also the Stanisław Janson Pyrzyce Land Trail (walking and cycling, Morzyczyn to Pyrzyce), the Bolesław Czwójdziński Trail (Miedwiecko, Morzyczyn, Kołbacz, Beech Forest, Szczecin) and a canoe route along the Płonia from Barlinek to Szczecin.

Practical information

• Location: near Koszewo, Stargard County.
• Bathing sites and equipment hire: the locations are given above, and the hours and rules are set by each manager.
• Nearby: Koszewo Palace and Kołbacz Abbey.