Śniardwy () is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland. At , Śniardwy is the largest lake in Poland. It was also the largest lake in Prussia, when Warmia-Masuria was under German rule. It is long and wide. The maximum depth is 23 metres (75 feet). There are eight islands on the Śniardwy lake.Lake Śniardwy at the International Lake Environment Committee webpage
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Geography

Śniardwy was formed by retreating ice sheet and draining floodwaters occurring as the result of ice calving ahead of the receding glacier. Among the eight islands are: Szeroki Ostrów, Czarci Ostrów, Wyspa Pajęcza, Wyspa Kaczor and others. Surrounding settlements include

Popielno Popielno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Budzyń, within Chodzież County __NOTOC__ Chodzież County ( pl, powiat chodzieski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Greater Poland Voivodes ...

, Głodowo,

Niedźwiedzi Róg Niedźwiedzi Róg (german: Bärenwinkel) (literally "Bear's Corner") is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ruciane-Nida, within Pisz County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Ru ...

, Okartowo,

Nowe Guty Nowe Guty (german: Gutten E) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Orzysz, within Pisz County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Orzysz, north of Pisz, and east of the regiona ...

, Zdęgowo and Łuknajno. Among the many

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

s, two are named as separate lakes: Warnołty and Seksty. Śniardwy connects with the following lakes: Tuchlin, Łuknajno,

Mikołajskie Mikołajskie is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Cekcyn, within Tuchola County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Cekcyn, east of Tuchola, and north of Bydgoszcz ...

, Roś, Białoławki and Tyrkło. It is surrounded by the system of canals known as Kanały Mazurskie (Masurian Canals), with numerous

sluice Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

s. Together, they form the Polish Masurian Lake District.

Bibliography

* J. Szynkowski, ''Mazury. Przewodnik'', Kengraf Kętrzyn, 2003 Lakes of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship {{Mrągowo-geo-stub