Wigry ( lt, Vygriai, Vingriai) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located in north-eastern part of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, in

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province ( pl, Województwo podlaskie, ) is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest cit ...

. Wigry lake is situated in the forests of the

Augustów Wilderness Augustów (; lt, Augustavas, formerly known in English as ''Augustovo'' or ''Augustowo'')" is a city in north-eastern Poland with 29,729 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is situated in the ...

– trees grow on about 80% of its shoreline. There are 19 smaller and bigger islands on the lake, in its waters thrive as many as 26 species of fish including pike, trout and bass. The lake and its adjacent area belong to the

Wigry National Park '' , iucn_category = II , photo =Poland Wigry Lake.jpg , photo_caption = Wigry Lake at sunset Park logo with Eurasian beaver , location = Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland , nearest_city = Suwałki , map = Poland , relief = 1 , map_caption = ...

which means there are several regulations which ought to be respected by tourists. Wigry is considered a "zone of silence", which bans the use of anyone except law enforcement from using motorboats on the lake. Tents and bonfires are allowed only in designated areas. The lake is revered by canoeing and yachting aficionados. Wigry, as well as the

Czarna Hańcza The Czarna Hańcza, Chornaya Hancha (, ) is the largest river of the Suwałki Region of north-eastern Poland and the Sapockin region of north-western Belarus. It is known for having large postglacial boulders. Originating near Lake Hańcza (the ...

River, are part of a famous canoe trail of

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Wigry is also the name of a Polish youth bicycle popular in the 1970s and the 1980s, as well as the name of a Polish 3rd Division soccer team – Wigry Suwałki.

See also