Walking in the polish beautiful mountains...: Bieszczady

Lake Solina - is an artificial lake in the Bieszczady Mountains region.

On the third day of our tour to the Bieszczady, we decided to get some rest and went to Lake Solina. Dam and Lake Solina is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area Polańczyk, as well as the whole of the Bieszczady.

wife on the dam

peninsula in the distance

a lot of fish in the lake

After we was entering on the dam, on the right side we saw a beautiful view of the Solina Lake. When we looked down towards the lake, we saw a large number of fish swimming near a dam just below the surface of water.

great views of Solina Lake

building a power plant on the dam

On the left side of the dam's is situated hydroelectric power plant operated by PGE. Next to this building is a parking, where stand helicopters which are used for operation of the power plant.

one of the beaches in Solina

Then we passed, numbering 664 m dam length, we headed in the direction of beach and the harbour for tourist vessels. At the harbour there is also a hire swimming equipment. Behind the dam occur a lot of: shops, pizzerias and all kinds of other eateries.

a harbour

The history of the reservoir:
The first project of the San hydropower through the construction of the dam has already developed in 1921 by Professor Karol Pomianowski. The first recognition of geological and hydrological conducted in the San valley in the years 1936-1937, but further work was interrupt by World War II. Construction of the dam began in 1960, major earthworks and foundation work was completed in 1964, then began to built the body of the dam. The initial start-up of the first turbine on 9 March 1968, and then 20 July of the same year, dam was put into operation.
The remains of the former village of Solina are present on the bottom of the tank. Dam in Solina is 81.8 m high and 664 m long, is the highest in Poland.

peninsula in Polańczyk

wife in the Solina Lake

in the Solina Lake

The reservoir has an area of approximately 22 km ² and is the largest in Poland capacity 472 million m³. The lake has a very developed coastline (about 166 km), with many bays and the mouths of streams. The maximum depth of the reservoir is 60 m at the dam. Below the dam is a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 200 MW.

beach on Solina

on the water bike

Lake Solina and around is frequently visited by tourists and holidaymakers. On its shores has produced several recreation centres, and on the west shore of the lake is known spa resort Polanczyk. The opportunity to swim is there only at designated bathing - in other places bathing is dangerous due to the inaccessible shores and numerous underwater obstacles. The cultivated is sailing and windsurfing, but the reservoir is not easy: it has special feature, due to fragmentation of the water surface and the impact of the high edges, the volatility and unpredictability of the winds.