Purple Pond

Purple Pond is the smallest and most photographed of the Coloured Ponds in the Rudawy Janowickie, in Lower Silesia. It lies at about 560 m above sea level, surrounded by the high rock walls of a former quarry, within the Rudawy Landscape Park. Its name comes from the water's intense purple-violet colour, which stands out strikingly against the surrounding green forest.

Origin of the name

The pond formed in the flooded workings of the former Hoffnung (Nadzieja) mine, opened in 1785. Until 1925, pyrite-bearing shale was extracted here and processed into sulphuric acid in nearby Płoszów. The water's distinctive colour comes from iron and copper compounds, chiefly pyrite, lying in the bed and walls of the workings - which is why the water is strongly acidic. In 1997, during the "flood of the millennium", the natural dam of the workings was breached and the water flowed out towards Wieściszowice. Over time the workings filled with water again and the pond regained its present appearance. Traces of mining, such as adits and spoil heaps, are still visible around the pool.

By the water

Because of the water's acidity and the site's mining origins, swimming is not practised here - the pond is treated as a viewpoint and the destination of a short walk, not a bathing spot. A marked path runs around it, linking it to the other Coloured Ponds, from where the route can continue towards Wielka Kopa.

Nearby

• Colourful Lakes - the other pools of the same former mining complex, a few dozen metres away.
• Wielka Kopa - the summit rising above the ponds, a popular destination on the same trip.
• Stróżnik - a nearby hill in the Rudawy Janowickie.
• The Schaffgotsch family mausoleum in Raszów - a monument of the family who owned this land for centuries.
• Rudawski Landscape Park - the protected area in which the whole pond complex lies.

Practical information

• Access via a signposted road (turn-off marked "Kolorowe Jeziorka") from Marciszów on national road no. 5.
• A large car park sits by the lowest pond, from where the rest of the way is on foot.
• The route to the ponds is short and runs along a forest path; from there it is possible to continue towards Wielka Kopa on a mountain trail.
• The pond is accessible year-round, though the approach can be slippery in winter.