Jeziorak — the longest lake in Poland

A lake shaped like a corridor

Jeziorak does not look like most people's idea of a lake. It is 27.45 kilometres long and under two and a half kilometres across at its widest, so it reads more like a river that has pooled in a narrow valley. It fills a subglacial tunnel valley, a trench scoured out by meltwater running beneath the ice sheet, which accounts both for the shape and for the steep wooded banks along much of its length.

It is first in Poland for length and sixth for area, covering more than three thousand hectares. It is not deep: around four metres on average and just under thirteen at the deepest point. That has practical consequences — the water warms quickly, but it also clouds quickly after wind, and on the open reaches a gust raises a short, steep chop.

The outflow is the Iławka, a tributary of the Drwęca and so ultimately of the Vistula. At its northern end the lake forms part of the Elbląg Canal waterway, the route where boats are hauled overland on rail-mounted cradles up a series of inclined planes. Jeziorak is therefore not a dead end but a stretch of a through route reaching the Vistula Lagoon.

The islands and Wielka Żuława

The lake holds some twenty islands totalling over two hundred hectares. The largest, Wielka Żuława, covers more than eighty-two hectares, which makes it one of the largest lake islands in Poland; administratively it belongs to the town of Iława. A ferry runs out to it from the town harbour, so you do not need a boat of your own.

The island has a history of its own. It retains traces of a small medieval defensive post — a watch station used in the thirteenth century, in the Teutonic Order's time — and, on its highest ground, the remains of a small nineteenth-century Protestant cemetery. Paths cross the island, and a circuit on foot takes a couple of hours.

The other islands are smaller and mostly wooded; for sailors they serve as landmarks and as shelter from the chop. Pine forest covers the western and eastern shores, with fields, meadows and smaller stands of trees in between, so the view from the water changes every few kilometres rather than every few hours as it does on the big Masurian lakes.

Sailing, paddling and protected land

Jeziorak is among Poland's best-liked sailing waters, and its narrowness is part of the appeal rather than a drawback: shelter under the bank is always within reach, and the narrows divide the lake into reaches with their own wind behaviour. For beginners it is a gentler school than Lake Śniardwy; for the experienced it means more manoeuvring. The main harbours are at Iława in the south and Siemiany about halfway up.

For paddlers the attraction is connectivity: the lake links to neighbouring lakes and to the Elbląg Canal system, so multi-day routes need not double back. Anglers find the usual lowland-lake mix, with shallow, well-warmed reed margins that suit predatory species.

The lake lies within the Iława Lake District Landscape Park, which covers over twenty-five thousand hectares and extends across the boundary into Pomeranian Voivodeship; the park administration sits at Jerzwałd. The surrounding Iława Forests are additionally a Natura 2000 bird protection area. In practice that means camping and mooring outside designated places are restricted, so it is worth reading the rules before setting out.

Getting there

• By car — roads reach Iława at the southern end from Olsztyn and from Grudziądz; Siemiany and Jerzwałd are reached by minor roads from Zalewo or Susz.
• By train — Iława Główna is a major junction on the Warsaw–Gdańsk line with fast services both ways; the harbour is about fifteen minutes' walk from the station.
• By water — from the north along the Elbląg Canal route via Małdyty and Miłomłyn; excursion boats and the island ferry operate from Iława.
• By bike — a circuit of the lake on minor and forest roads is feasible and fills a day, with several unsurfaced sections.

Practical notes

The narrow channel that gives the lake its character is also its difficulty. Wind funnels between the forests and picks up on the open reaches without warning, and shallow water steepens the waves fast. Check the forecast before setting out, and make use of the fact that the shore is never far — treat it as an option, not a consolation.

On choosing a base: Iława has the full infrastructure, rail links and the island ferry; Siemiany is smaller and quieter; the country around Jerzwałd is the most wooded and the most remote. July and August are peak season, especially near the harbours. June and the first half of September give you nearly the same conditions with noticeably less traffic.

If you have one day and no boat, take the ferry to Wielka Żuława, walk the island paths, and add an excursion boat along the southern reaches. You see less from the bank than you would expect — Jeziorak only really opens up from the water.

How to get there and practical info

Location

Iława Lake District, Iława county, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship — north from Iława towards Zalewo

Length

27.45 km — the longest lake in Poland

Area

over 3,000 hectares, sixth largest in Poland

Depth

about 4 metres on average, just under 13 metres at the deepest

Islands

around twenty, over 200 hectares in total; the largest, Wielka Żuława, exceeds 82 hectares

Waterway

part of the Elbląg Canal route; outflow via the Iławka to the Drwęca and the Vistula

Protection

Iława Lake District Landscape Park, Natura 2000 Iława Forests bird area

Time needed

a day for the ferry, the island and a boat trip; several days under sail

Current hours and tickets

Landscape Parks of Warmia, Masuria and Powiśle — park rules and news

When to go