Blachownia Reservoir

The Blachownia Reservoir, known in the town simply as the zalew, is a shallow retention reservoir on the Stradomka, located not far from the centre of Blachownia near Częstochowa. It covers 47 hectares and for decades has served residents as a place for recreation by the water.

How big the reservoir is and where its water comes from

The reservoir covers 47 ha and holds about 0.5 million m³ of water, but it is very shallow: the greatest depth is about 2 m, the average about 1 m. The water is supplied by the Stradomka and the Trzepizurka. The normal impoundment level is 259.5 m above sea level. The reservoir lies in the Woźniki-Wieluń Upland, in the Upper Warta Depression, in the buffer zone of the Forests on the Upper Liswarta Landscape Park. The surroundings are dominated by forests and, to a lesser extent, fields.

History of the reservoir

The reservoir was created in the 1840s on marshy ground. The impounded water was meant to power the machinery of a nearby ironworks, but because of alternating droughts and frosts it did not provide a continuous supply, and the idea was abandoned.

In the 1960s and 1970s the reservoir was a popular recreation spot for people from Częstochowa, and summer camps for children were organised in Blachownia. In the 1990s tourist traffic clearly declined. From 1980 to 2018 an amphitheatre stood by the reservoir. In 2011 the weir was renovated, and in 2018 reclamation of the reservoir began: dredging of the bottom with a suction dredger and building paths around the water.

What people do by the water

The reservoir has a flood-control function, because it evens out the flow during short-lived floods, but the municipality also regards it as one of its greatest tourist assets. There is a rental of floating equipment and a sailing club (Omega and Optimist classes), recreation areas lie around it, and the reservoir is used by anglers. About 400 m from the reservoir stands a brine graduation tower.

Practical information

• Location: Blachownia, Częstochowa County, not far from the town centre.
• Rental of floating equipment and fishing: rules and dates must be checked on the spot or at the municipal office.
• The state of the paths and banks after the reclamation is worth checking before your visit, because the work began in 2018.