Dzierżno Duże

Dzierżno Duże is an artificial lake of over 500 hectares, created in the Kłodnica valley on the site of sand extraction pits. It lies on the border of Gliwice, Pyskowice and Rudziniec municipality, on the left bank of the Gliwice Canal.

How the lake came about

The reservoir was created in 1964 by flooding two sand pits of similar depth, today separated by a blurred causeway. Backfill sand was extracted here for the needs of mining, and when extraction ended, water from the Kłodnica river was let into the pits.

The name comes from Dzierżno, a district of Pyskowice. The reservoir is also sometimes called Lake Rzeczyce. Right beside it lies a second, smaller reservoir, Dzierżno Małe.

Its dimensions

The reservoir is about 5.8 km long and up to 1.5 km wide, and the average width is about a kilometre. The maximum depth reaches 20 metres, and the shoreline is 15.7 km long. At the normal impoundment level the area is 6.15 km², and the total capacity is 93.5 million m³.

On the southern and eastern sides the basin is natural in character, on the west it is bounded by an earth dam, and on the north by an embankment. The water level can vary by as much as 9 metres.

What the reservoir is for

The reservoir serves several functions. It improves navigation conditions on the Gliwice Canal, provides flood protection and, like a natural settling basin, cleans the water of the Kłodnica. Water reaches it through a three-stage inlet cascade and flows out through a channel about 300 metres long into the Gliwice Canal.

It is also a refuge for waterfowl of regional importance. The fish living in the reservoir include crucian carp, carp, bream, tench, perch, roach and pike. The water quality depends on the condition of the Kłodnica, which feeds it.

Nearby

The nearest attraction on the Pyskowice side is the railway open-air museum.

The town also has a municipal museum.

In Pławniowice, a few kilometres away, stands the palace and park complex, and nearby stretches the Las Dąbrowa nature reserve.

Practical information

• Location: the western part of the Silesian Voivodeship, between Gliwice, Pyskowice and Rudziniec, by the Gliwice Canal.
• Rules for using the water and shores (bathing, sailing, angling) and any bans may change. Check them before a visit with the municipal offices or with Wody Polskie (the State Water Holding).
• Information about tourist infrastructure at the lake is best checked with the municipal office.