Lake Leśnia (Polish ''Jezioro Leśniańskie'', German ''Marklissa-Talsperre'') is a small

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

, located on the

Kwisa The Kwisa (german: Queis, hsb, Hwizdź) is a river in south-western Poland, a left tributary of the Bóbr, which itself is a left tributary of the Oder river. It rises in the Izera Mountains, part of the Western Sudetes range, where it runs al ...

river, between towns of

Leśna Leśna (german: Marklissa) is a town in Lubań County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the Czech border. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Leśna. As of 2019, the town has a populat ...

and Gryfow Slaski in

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbr ...

, southwestern

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 populou ...

. It was opened on July 15, 1905, after a dam had been completed near the village of Czocha. The dam was constructed between 1901 - 1905, by the government of

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

’s

Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...

. Most workers employed during construction came from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and total cost was estimated at 1,270,00 reichsmarks. The dam is 45 m high, its length is 130 m, and its thickness - 8 m on top. Total area of the lake is 140 hectares, and volume - 15 million cubic metres. The length of the lake is around 7 km, and it is up to 1 km wide. Between 1905 and 1907, a hydroelectric power plant was built there, for 800,000 marks, funded by the government of Silesia. Currently, it is the oldest plant of this kind in Poland, with six J.M.Voith 1906 turbines still working. On the high, left bank of the lake,

Czocha Castle Czocha Castle (pronounced , german: Tzschocha, lat, Caychow) is a defensive castle in the village of Czocha ( Gmina Lesna), Lubań County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. The castle is located on the Lake Leśnia, near the K ...

is located, and on the right bank, there is the complex of Rajsko Castle. The lake is a popular summer vacation centre, with several campsites and watersports facilities.

Sources

History of the lake

External links

View of the dam from the drone
Lakes of Poland Reservoirs in Poland Lakes of Lower Silesian Voivodeship {{Poland-geo-stub