flooded pit in the Owl Mountains
Lake Kryształ, also known as Zalew Andrzej, lies between Żarów and Mrowiny, on the border of the Owl Mountains and the Silesian Lowland. It is distinguished by exceptionally clean, clear water, which gave it its name (kryształ means "crystal" in Polish) - it is one of the few reservoirs in the region where underwater visibility reaches several metres.
The reservoir was formed after the flooding of a pit from the former "Andrzej" kaolin mine (German: Weisstongrube), which operated at this site from at least 1843. After extraction ended, the pit filled with water from deep springs. It is precisely this supply from groundwater, rather than surface run-off from the surrounding fields, that explains the lake's exceptional clarity - fertilisers and agricultural pollutants that cloud the water in many other reservoirs in the region do not reach it. Several kaolin and other clay pits once operated around Żarów; Lake Kryształ is one of those that naturally filled with water after extraction ended and, over time, became a local recreation spot.
Lake Kryształ is popular with divers and anglers, mainly because of the clarity of its water. Visitors should, however, be aware of access restrictions: the northern part of the reservoir lies on private land, with an entrance from Mickiewicza Street in Żarów. The reservoir is not on the list of official bathing sites maintained by Polish Waters, so there is no lifeguard supervision or designated bathing zones here - it is worth checking the current status and any warnings on the GIS Bathing Site Service.
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