Lake Lednica is located in the Gniezno Lake District between Gniezno and Poznań. Prince Mieszko I was probably baptized here. Currently, it is not the lake itself that attracts tourists, but its surroundings. All regional tourism is based on the activity of the first Piasts in this area.
The lake is located between the provincial road number 197 and the provincial road number 194. The S5 expressway also runs nearby, so access via main roads is very good. There are several villages on the shores of the lake: Lednogóra, Dziekanowice, Rybitwy, Imiołki and Waliszewo. They are agricultural, not touristic, places.
The area of Lake Lednica is 348 hectares, and the maximum depth is 15 meters. The lake occupies a glacial gutter in the longitudinal direction. The lake is 7.3 kilometers long, and the shoreline is 22.3 kilometers long. There are four islands on the lake: Ostrów Lednicki (7.5 hectares), and two smaller ones: Ledniczka, Wyspa Mewia and Kłecko. The results of underwater archaeological research have confirmed the existence of several medieval bridges connecting the island of Ostrów Lednicki and suggest the existence of such bridges connecting the island of Ledniczka with the mainland. Currently, there are no traces of them above the water surface.
Ostrów Lednicki
There is an archaeological site on the island and the Museum of the First Piasts. On the eastern shore is a car park, offices and exhibition halls of the museum. A passenger ferry leads to the island from here. The island was already inhabited during the Neolithic period. In its area, the remains of fortifications and palace and sacral buildings from the times of Mieszko I, i.e. from the 10th century, were discovered. The settlement was inhabited until the 14th century.
Wielkopolski Ethnographic Park
The Wielkopolski Ethnographic Park is located on the south-eastern shore of Lake Lednica. It is an open-air museum which is a branch of the Museum of the First Piasts. It is one of the largest open-air museums in Poland, tangibly presenting the “golden age” of Wielkopolska’s folk culture. The original buildings and equipment as well as the historic layout of the village recreate the appearance of a 19th-century settlement in detail. There are several hectares of family-friendly walking space, including wooden architecture, old varieties of fruit trees, animals and old farm implements, a copy of a baroque-style manor house complete with furnishings and a stylized garden. All this is brought to life during many outdoor events.
Lednica fields
Lednickie Pola is the place of the regularly celebrated Christian National Youth Meeting Lednica 2000. The first took place in 1997. It is here that the famous Fish Gate – the symbol of the Third Millennium – was erected. From the north, the lake goes around the pilgrimage route, the Wielkopolska Droga Św. James – a section of the pilgrimage trail to the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This place was chosen for the meeting because, according to historical sources, the baptism of Poland took place on the Ostrów island. The meetings take place in early June and gather around 100,000 people.
Rest by the water
Lake Lednica is also suitable for resting by the water. The best place is the beach in Dziekanowice, on the way to the Museum of the First Piasts. There is a parking lot and a well-kept sandy beach. The second place is in Lednogóra. There is also a parking lot here. There are toilets and food trucks.
The user of the lake is Gospodarstwo Rybackie Bogucin and a permit is required for fishing. There are quite a lot of fish species here: perch, roach, pike, zander, crucian carp and eel. There are a lot of fish, but mostly medium-sized. It is not possible to rent a boat here, so those who did not bring their own must fish from the shore. Due to the lack of platforms for anglers, this can be a problem as emergence vegetation occurs practically all along the shore.
