Lake Solina

Jezioro Solińskie Lake Solina
Aerial view of the lake.
Jezioro Solińskie Lake Solina
Location	Bieszczady
Coordinates	49°22′27″N 22°27′8″E
Type	Artificial lake
Primary inflows	San River and Solinka River
Primary outflows	San River
Basin countries	Poland
Max. length	21 km (13 mi)
Surface area	22 km2 (8.5 sq mi)
Average depth	25 m (82 ft)
Max. depth	60 m (200 ft)
Water volume	472,000,000 m3 (617,000,000 cu yd; 383,000 acre⋅ft)
Shore length1	150 km (93 mi)
Islands	3
Settlements	Solina, Myczkowce, Polańczyk
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Solina (Polish: Jezioro Solińskie) is an artificial lake in the Bieszczady Mountains region, in Lesko County of the Subcarpathian Voivodship, Poland. Created in 1968, it is Poland's largest artificial lake as well as a major tourist attraction of the region.

History

The first hydropower project concerning San River was designed in 1921 by Professor Karol Pomianowski of the Warsaw University of Technology. The initial geological and hydrological works were conducted between 1936–1937; however, these plans were interrupted by the outbreak of the World War II. The project was revived in 1955 and a new plan for the development of the San Valley was devised under the supervision of engineer Bolesław Kozłowski.

The first works began in 1960. Nine villages, including Solina, had to be either completely or partially submerged under water and their population had to be resettled.

The lake was ultimately created in 1968 by the construction of the Solina Dam on the San River. An estimated 2,000 workers were involved in the construction of the lake.

In 1966, Polish film director, Henryk Kluba, directed the film Chudy i inni, which tells the story of the lives of workers employed during the construction of the lake. It also deals with the various controversies surrounding the project including the resettlement of the inhabintants of the villages which had to be destroyed for the sake of the new lake.

Description

Solina Lake covers an area of 22 square kilometres (8 sq mi) and contains 472,000,000 cubic metres (617,000,000 cu yd; 383,000 acre⋅ft) of water, making it Poland's largest artificial lake. The Solina Dam on the lake is 664 meters long and 82 meters tall, making it Poland's tallest dam. The lake has a very developed shoreline with numerous bays and its total length is estimated at around 150 km. The average depth of the lake is 25 meters, the deepest place being 60 meters. There are three islands located on the lake.

Below the dam, a hydroelectric power plant with the installed capacity of 200 MW is located.

The lake is rich in fish and plenty of fish species can be found in it including pike, carp, catfish, bream, roach, perch and zander.

Tourism

It is the best known tourist attraction of the region, with waterside villages like Solina, Myczkowce, and Polańczyk catering to watersports enthusiasts such as sailers and winfsurfers. The lake's great depth, water clarity, and mountainous scenery makes it a very popular destination. The lake is also known as the Bieszczady Sea.

Starting in the 1970s, the Wojewódzkie Przedsiębiorstwo Turystyczne (State Tourism Enterprise) "Bieszczady" purchased a number of vessels for the lake and established the lake's White Fleet. The fleet's main ships offer cruises on the lake.

In 2022, a cableway over the Solina Dam was officially opened becoming a major tourist attraction of the region. It runs from Mount Plasza to Mount Jawor over the distance of 1.5 km long.

Gallery

• 
  Solina Lake seen from Polańczyk.
• 
  The dam view from NE.
• 
  Ferryboat on the lake.
• 
  Marina on the lake.
• 
  Cableway over the Solina Dam.
• 
  Aerial view.
• 
  View of the lake from Wolkowyja.
• 
  Solina Lake seen from the distance.

External links

• Media related to Lake Solina at Wikimedia Commons
• The Solina municipality website (in English, German, and Polish)