Kuźnica Warężyńska Reservoir

The Kuźnica Warężyńska Reservoir, colloquially known as Pogoria IV, is a post-excavation lake in Dąbrowa Górnicza and the Siewierz municipality, with its main beach on the Wojkowice Kościelne side. It was created in 2005 on the site of a closed sand pit and serves both as a retention reservoir and as a place for informal recreation by the water.

How the reservoir came into being

The reservoir filled the excavation of the "Kuźnica Warężyńska" sand pit and was officially opened on 25 August 2005. It takes its name from the nearby village of Kuźnica Warężyńska, as did the sand pit before it.

Unofficially it is called Pogoria IV, because it neighbours the Pogoria group of reservoirs. However, there is no hydrological justification for this name, since the lake lies outside the catchment of the Pogoria stream. The reservoir is fed by the waters of the Czarna Przemsza on the northern side of the basin, and discharge and outlet structures on the south-western shore return the water to the same river.

How big the lake is

At the maximum retention level the water surface covers 560 ha, or more than five square kilometres. The reservoir is about 5 km long, on average about 1 km wide, and 1.8 km at its widest point.

Its capacity is 51.2 million m³ and its greatest depth is 23 m. The shoreline is about 13 km long, but only about 15 percent of it consists of beaches and grassy or stony access points to the water. The rest of the perimeter is made up of steep embankments, scrub, sweet flag reed beds and rocks, so most of the shore is inaccessible.

What the reservoir is for

Besides recreation, it serves a flood-protection function. It reduces possible flood flows of the Przemsza fourfold: from 60 to 14.3 m³/s in a 100-year flood and from 80 to 19.4 m³/s in a flood with a probability of 0.3 percent.

It also maintains the minimum environmental flows in the Czarna Przemsza and provides balancing capacity for the Upper Silesian water management system. Two steel pipelines 216 m long separate it from the Pogoria III reservoir, and water can be discharged through them from Kuźnica Warężyńska to the neighbouring reservoir.

What people do by the water

The reservoir is used for angling, water sports and diving, and for sunbathing at informal bathing spots. There is no extensive accommodation or catering base here, apart from walking paths and cycling routes. The Śląskie Miasta portal describes a single seasonal facility and sailing clubs.

The same portal states that the main beach lies in the north-east of the lake and can be reached only by car, because bus services are infrequent. Since 2024 concrete barriers on the small bridge over the Trzebyczka have cut the beach off from car traffic, so parking has to be found on nearby streets in Wojkowice Kościelne and Dąbrowa Górnicza. The area is undeveloped and has no permanent lifeguard service, so swimming is at your own risk.

Nearby

The neighbouring Pogoria II reservoir is about 2.7 km away in a straight line.

About 4.4 km from the lake lies Uroczysko Zielona, and at a similar distance Zielona Park in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Practical information

• Location: Dąbrowa Górnicza and the Siewierz municipality, main beach on the Wojkowice Kościelne side (Dąbrowska and Piastowska streets).
• Getting there: by car, via the DK86 and S1 roads; there are bus stops next to the main beach, but services are infrequent.
• Parking: directly at the beach it has been difficult since 2024, so you need to look for a space on streets in the surrounding villages.
• Facilities: sailing clubs and a seasonal drinks stand, without extensive tourist infrastructure. Before you go, check the current rules with the city office or on the clubs' websites.