Lake Modre

Lake Modre is a small dam reservoir on the River Bóbr, at a spot called Borowy Jar, within the Bóbr Valley Landscape Park. It lies by the village of Siedlęcin, a few kilometres from Jelenia Góra, and is sometimes also called Lake Bobrowieckie. Its name comes from the distinctive, intensely blue colour of the water.

Where it came from

The lake is an artificial dam reservoir, built in 1924-1925 as part of the Bóbr cascade's flood-control system, created after the catastrophic floods of 1888 and 1897. The power plant dam is about 10 metres high and 80 metres long. Two hydroelectric plants operate at the reservoir: Bobrowice I (1 MW capacity) and Bobrowice II (0.23 MW). In 2006 a sudden, uncontrolled discharge of water occurred here, causing damage to the reservoir's ecosystem; maintenance works carried out in 2014 have prevented a repeat of that situation.

By the water

On the southern shore of the lake stands the "Perła Zachodu" PTTK mountain hostel. A suspended footbridge also runs from this side, leading to nearby rock formations and to the summit of Wieżyca. The lake can be reached on foot from Jelenia Góra via a renovated walking path, or by car from the direction of Siedlęcin. Check current water conditions for bathing on the GIS Bathing Site Service (sk.gis.gov.pl).

Nearby

The lake lies close to Jelenia Góra, so a good number of urban and family attractions can be found within a few kilometres:

• Wieża Rycerska w Siedlęcinie
• Wzgórze Krzywoustego
• Wieża bramy zamkowej
• Fontanna Neptuna w Jeleniej Górze
• Książnica Karkonoska
• Brama Wojanowska

Practical information

• Getting there: on foot or by bike from Jelenia Góra via the renovated walking path; by car it is more convenient from the direction of Siedlęcin.
• Parking available near Siedlęcin, closer to the PTTK hostel on the southern side of the reservoir.
• From the "Perła Zachodu" hostel, a suspended footbridge leads to the rock formations and to Wieżyca.
• The bathing area is designated each year by a resolution of the municipality; check the season and current water quality on the GIS Bathing Site Service.