Lake Wicko Wielkie

Lake Wicko Wielkie is a lake in north-western Poland, a former bay of the northern part of the Szczecin Lagoon, separated by shoals and by the straits of the Świna reverse delta. It has an area of 12 km², of which about 95 per cent lies in the area of Wolin National Park. It is closed off from the south-east by the Lubin-Wapnica Hills.

Location

The larger western part of the lake belongs administratively to Świnoujście, and the eastern part to Kamień County, to Międzyzdroje municipality. On the eastern shore lie two seaports: Lubin and Wapnica. Near the northern part there is the inland sailing marina of Łunowo. One of them is Wapnica Port.

The trail and the Viking Oak

On the northern shore, in the area of the marina, runs the marked E9 Coastal Trail named after Dr Czesław Piskorski, on the Świnoujście - Międzyzdroje section. About 200 m east of the marina grows a natural monument, the roughly 500-year-old “Viking Oak” (“Dąb Wikingów”) with a girth of 650 cm.

The waterway to Szczecin

Until the middle of the 18th century the main waterway to Szczecin was the Peene. In the 1720s the Kingdom of Prussia negotiated with the Swedes over the duties collected on the Peene and considered a new waterway: through the Świna, the Dziwna or a canal from Lake Wicko Wielkie through Lake Wicko Małe to the Baltic in the area of Międzyzdroje. In the end, in the 1730s and 1740s, the Świna was used. The Polish name was introduced officially in 1949, replacing the German Grosser Vietziger See.

In the area lies the neighbouring Lake Wicko Małe, and in Wolin National Park the Natural History Museum.

Practical information

• Location: Świnoujście and Międzyzdroje municipality, in the area of Wolin National Park.
• The rules for moving around the national park (trails, protection zones) are given by the park authority.
• Information on bathing areas and equipment hire at the lake is given by the municipalities of Świnoujście and Międzyzdroje.