Gopło Lake – description
Gopło Lake is located in the Gniezno Lake District, partly within the territory of the town of Kruszwica. The lake is very large (11th among the largest lakes in Poland). These are ribbon-type lakes with three distinct bays. The coastline is low, varied, with numerous bays and peninsulas, and in some places the shores are marshy. The islands are also numerous. The area of the lake is 2,154 hectares. The maximum depth is 16.6 meters and the average is 4.7 meters. In the northern part of the lake there is a wide zone of rushes and meadows as well as moist riparian forests. In this part of the area, arable land and meadows dominate the structure of use, and forests occupy a small area. In the southern part, the relief is much more varied. There are more forests there, covering the dune areas of Gopło.
The location of the lake
Gopło Lake is located in the middle of the triangle delineated by Poznań, Bydgoszcz and Łódź. Kruszwica and the surrounding towns can be reached by the national road No. 15 from Toruń and Gniezno, the national road No. 25 from Bydgoszcz, Konin and from the A2 motorway, national road No. 62 from Włocławek and the A1 motorway. The main town on the lake is Kruszwica. However, the city is dominated by two large industrial plants: Krajowa Spółka Cukrowa SA and Zakłady Tłuszczowe “Kruszwica” SA. It should be noted that the city has a modern sewage treatment plant, and industry and the city no longer pollute the lake’s waters. The city offers a number of tourist attractions, but mainly for sailors. Although the lake is large, apart from Kruszwica, the tourist part covers only the area from Złotów to Mielnica Duże.
Nearby attractions
The Mouse Tower in Kruszwica. Its name is explained by a legend, when King Popiel and his family were eaten by vengeful mice. Others believe that the name comes from the Myszek family, who ruled over the Goplan people here. There is another version which says that the Teutonic Knights brought this name with them. They saw in this tower the mirror image of the Mouse Tower of Bingen on the island of the Rhine. What’s the truth? Who knows. The 32-meter-high brick tower towering over the city is a remnant of the castle built by Casimir the Great around 1350. In 1657, the Swedes destroyed the castle, blowing it up. Only an octagonal tower known as the “Mouse Tower” remained. There are 109 steps to the top of the Tower. Initially, the stairs lead outside, but at the height of the walls they lead inside the tower. In its walls you can see 14 cannonballs. They were dug after the restoration of the castle at the foot of the tower. According to legend, there are large cellars under the tower. They are connected by an underground porch with the parish church. However, the exit from the basement and the porch were bricked up and a stone cave was erected there.
From the south and west, the Mietlica stronghold is surrounded by the waters of Gopło. Today, the height of the rampart is 3-4 meters. The stronghold was surrounded by a moat, the traces of which are clearly visible from the south and east. From the side of Gopło, two fore-embankments separated by moats have also survived. The eastern part of the ramparts was destroyed. They were probably located on the area of the modern access road.
Tourism on Lake Gopło
The authorities of Kruszwica ensure that the tourism by the lake is of a high standard. For this reason, a bicycle path and a comfortable passage lead along the shore in the city’s part. In the eastern part of the city there are marinas, sailing and rowing clubs. There is also a small beach called Łagiewniki. On the opposite bank, there is a second city beach called Wild Beach. It is also intimate and devoid of amenities. The main beach of the city is located on the Rzepowski Peninsula. It is called Beach on the Ciple. There is a parking lot, a bar, a playground, a pier, and a lifeguard in the season.
South of Złotów, guesthouses, boat rentals and holiday resorts appear on both banks. The public beach in Łuszczewo is quite interestingly arranged. There is a car park, bar, pier and seasonal water equipment rental. Unfortunately, cars drive almost to the water. Another small public beach with parking and a bar is in Połajewo.
The last beach is in Mielnica. It’s called Marina Camping. As the name suggests, there is a large pier, a place to slip boats, as well as a car park for campers, toilets, showers and a bar. Everything is open seasonally.
Fish and fishing
The host of the fishery is the “Gopło” Fish Farm. It is located in Kruszwica at ul. Wodna 9. Lake Gopło is full of quiet feeding fish. Although medium-sized fish predominate, you can also catch a real specimen. Roach, bream and silver bream are the most common prey of anglers. There are not many carps and grass carp in the lake, but once he takes one, it will be a fish of several kilograms, extremely difficult to haul out. Weirs in Gople reach large sizes. The kilograms and larger are often a by-catch when fishing for bream and roach. The biggest attraction of the described fishery are zander. There are a lot of them and they reach large sizes. In the lake, zander is mainly caught from boats. There are also sums in Gople. Admittedly, for several years the host of the water has fished the lake intensively with catfish, but the fish do not exceed twenty kilograms yet. The lake is located in the Nadgoplański Park Tysiąclecia. There are special footnotes on it. Additional information can be obtained from the park management.
Gopło Lake is one of the most interesting places in central Poland. It is worth coming here for fishing, sailing and sunbathing. Historical values are also important, because the Polish state was established in this area.
