Lake Mácha () is a

pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...

Doksy Doksy () is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants. It is known for Lake Mácha and its summer vacation resort. Administrative division Doksy consists of eight municipal parts ...

in the

Liberec Region Liberec Region () is an administrative unit (Czech language, Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international bor ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. With an area of it is the largest pond in the region and therefore is called a lake, despite its artificial origin. It is a popular summer holiday destination. It is associated with the work of the poet

Karel Hynek Mácha Karel Hynek Mácha () (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czechs, Czech Romanticism, romantic poet. His poem ''Máj'' is among the most important poems in the history of Czech literature. Biography Mácha was born on 16 November 1810 ...

, after whom it got its current name.

Geography

Lake Mácha is located in the municipal territory of

in the

. It lies in the

Ralsko Uplands The Ralsko Uplands () are highland, uplands and a Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Liberec Region, Liberec, Ústí nad Labem Region, Ústí nad Labem and Centr ...

and was established on the stream Robečský potok. It has an area of . It is the largest pond in the region and the 9th largest body of water in the country. It is located about southwest of

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

and north of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Protection of nature

The pond lies in the Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj Protected Landscape Area. The southeastern tip of the pond is surrounded by

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muske ...

s and this area is protected as a national nature monument called Swamp, with an area of . In the middle of the pond are two small islands named Myší and Kachní. They are important ornithological sites and entry to them is prohibited.

Technical details

Lake Mácha is on average deep and the greatest depth is . Volume of retained water is 6.782 million m³. The dam is on average 6–8 high and its length in crown is .

History

In 1366, King Charles IV ordered a large pond to be established here. It had originally an area of . Its older name was ''Velký rybník'' ('Big Pond', or in German ''Großteich'') or ''Hirschberský rybník'' ('Hirschberg Pond', or in German ''Hirschberger Großteich''). Its current name was established after 1945 and despite the fact that the official renaming never took place, it has appeared in official documents since 1961. The modern name refers to the romantic poet

, who was charmed by the surrounding landscape and located the basis of his most famous poem ''

Máj ''Máj'' (Czech language, Czech for the month ''May''; ; usually ''květen'') is a Romantic poetry, romantic poem by Karel Hynek Mácha in four cantos. It was fiercely criticized when first published, but since then has gained the status of one o ...

'' here. In the 19th century, there was a spa resort. Until 1920, the area was property of the

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

, who allowed swimming in designated places. The pond was fully opened for recreation in 1928.

Use

Lake Mácha is known primarily as a recreational location. There are four sandy beaches, many accommodation facilities and other infrastructure. In the summer season, cruise ships cross the pond. The pond is also used for sport fishing and yachting, and in the winter season the frozen water area is used for ice skating and cross-country skiing.

In popular culture

Lake Mácha appeared in several films, including '' The Devil's Mistress'' (2016) and '' The Painted Bird'' (2019). The films ''Párty hárd'' and ''Párty hárder'' by Martin Pohl were shot at Mácháč EDM festival.

References

External links

''Máchovo jezero'' public benefit society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macha Lake Artificial lakes of the Czech Republic Geography of the Liberec Region Česká Lípa District Fish ponds Karel Hynek Mácha