A reservoir built, a beach born

The Sulejów Reservoir (Zalew Sulejowski) is a man-made lake, created between 1969 and 1973 by damming the Pilica river at its 139th kilometre in Smardzewice. It was built to store water and supply drinking water to Łódź and Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and it still serves flood protection, retention and even power generation — a small hydroelectric plant works at the dam, using the energy of the water released through it.↗↗

The result is one of the largest bodies of water in central Poland: roughly 2,700 hectares, about 17 km long, up to around 2 km wide, with a shoreline of some 58 km. The beach at the dam sits right where this engineered lake is deepest — near the wall the water reaches about 10 m — giving the swimming area a wide, open-water feel unusual for the flat Polish heartland.↗

The beach and its recreation ground

Approached from ul. Klonowa, the site is organised around a promenade that runs the length of a sandy-grassy beach. This is a purpose-built family recreation ground rather than a wild shore: there are two children's playgrounds (one of them a water playground), a beach-volleyball court, an outdoor gym and a covered summer stage for events, alongside changing rooms, benches, litter bins and bike racks, with landscaped greenery, lighting and CCTV throughout.↗

The renovation also revived the long pier (molo) reaching out over the water — around 300 m of new walkway and viewing terraces with benches and lighting — and added a foot-and-cycle access road, parking and a promenade heading toward the dam itself. The whole project was recognised in Poland's national 'Modernizacja Roku' renovation awards, and you can tell on the ground: it is clean, well-signed and built for staying a whole day.

A separate, officially registered bathing area (kąpielisko) operates here, with a marked swimming zone in the water, a shallow children's bathing area, a beach zone for recreation and sport, lifeguard cover with rescue equipment, and modern toilets and showers. The entrance and parking are wheelchair-accessible, making the waterfront usable for visitors with limited mobility.↗↗

On the water, and around it

Beyond swimming, the reservoir is a hub for wind- and paddle-powered sport: sailing, kayaking and windsurfing are all popular here, and there are marinas, boat rentals and a cycle path circling the lake. Because parts of the water fall under a 'quiet zone', engine-powered craft are restricted — which keeps the surface calm and the air clean, a big part of the appeal for paddlers and birdwatchers.↗

The beach lies inside the Sulejów Landscape Park, and dense pine forest wraps the eastern and northern shores, so a swim pairs easily with woodland walks and cycling. Anglers come for the lake's fish stocks, and the dam crest itself — open to vehicles and sightseers — offers the classic panoramic view over the water that the place is named for.

Nearby in the Pilica valley

This stretch of the Pilica valley packs in unusual sights within easy reach. The Niebieskie Źródła ('Blue Springs') nature reserve is famous for its rare karst springs that well up in striking blue pools, while the Groty Nagórzyckie are chambers left by an old quartz-sand mine. Even the reservoir bed hides active karst 'thundering springs' that show at the surface as rings in the water or ice. A beach day here can therefore easily be combined with a few genuinely odd natural and industrial curiosities.↗