Wigry () is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

located in north-eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, in

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

. Wigry lake is situated in the forests of the

Augustów Wilderness Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is the seat of Augustów County and of Gmina Augustów in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Augustów has an area of , and as of June 2022 it has a po ...

– 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 maximum depth of the lake is 73 meters. The lake and its adjacent area belong to the

Wigry National Park Wigry National Park () is a national park in Podlaskie Voivodeship in northeastern Poland. It covers parts of the Masurian Lake District and Augustów Primeval Forest (''Puszcza Augustowska''). It is named after Lake Wigry, the largest of the pa ...

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 (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. 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.

References

Lakes of Poland Lakes of Podlaskie Voivodeship {{Suwałki-geo-stub

See also

References