Międzybrodzie Lake

Międzybrodzie Lake (Jezioro Międzybrodzkie), also called the Międzybrodzie Reservoir, is a dam reservoir on the Soła river in the Silesian Voivodeship. It was created in 1937 after the construction of the Porąbka dam. It is about 5 km long from north to south, has an area of 3.8 km² and a capacity of 26.6 million m³ of water.

Why the reservoir was built

The lake was created for flood protection. Today it also serves a recreational function. Two holiday villages lie on its shore: Międzybrodzie Bialskie and Międzybrodzie Żywieckie.

The dam and the power stations

The dam is a gravity dam, standing on a rock base above the village of Porąbka. It is 37 m high and 260 m long. It was designed by Prof. Gabriel Narutowicz and engineer Tadeusz Baecker, and built by the Société Franco-Polonaise of Warsaw.

There is a hydroelectric power station at the dam. It forms a complex with the pumped-storage power station commissioned in 1979 on Żar mountain, above the lake. A year-round toboggan run leads up Żar, about 1.4 km from the shore.

Fish and the surroundings

Many species of fish live in the lake: pike, zander, carp, roach, perch, nase, trout, bream, ide, chub and catfish. In the area there is also Czaniec Lake, about 4.3 km from the reservoir.

In the mountains above the lake there is also the PTTK mountain hut on Magurka Wilkowicka, about 5.5 km from the reservoir.

Practical information

• Location: Międzybrodzie Bialskie and Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, Żywiec County.
• Check the rules for swimming, angling and boating on the reservoir on site and in the municipality’s announcements.