Necko Lake and Rospuda Augustowska
Necko Lake lies within the borders of Augustów. In fact, the entire reservoir is in the city, but the buildings are only on the southern shore. The central part of the southern shore is a typical urban area. There are more and more holiday homes in the west. The eastern end is occupied by hotels and resorts. The entire northern shore is covered with forest and practically inaccessible. Access to the lake is very good, because you have to get to Augustów, which is well connected. The national road No. 8 from Białystok leads here, which continues to the border with Lithuania and to Kaunas. There is also the national road No. 61 towards Warsaw and the national road No. 16 from Olsztyn.
This lake is part of the Lithuanian Lake District, the Polish part of which is called the Suwałki Lake District, sometimes called Suwałki-Augustów Lakeland. The lakes near Augustów are described as lying in the Augustów Lakeland. However, it is a common name. It does not constitute a formal unit of physical and geographical regionalization of Poland. The area of Lake Necko is 400 hectares. The average depth is 10 meters and the maximum depth is 25 meters. The lake occupies a latitudinal glacial trough. The maximum length is 5.4 kilometers and the width is 850 meters. At the north-eastern end, the lake is connected to the other lake called Rospuda Augustowska. This is a slightly smaller lake with an area of 104 hectares. However, their combination is conventional and, in principle, it can be said that it is one body of water.
The Rospuda River flows into the Rospuda Augustowska Lake. It flows further from Lake Necko as the Netta River. Hence the name of the lake. In the east, the lake is connected with another – Lake Białe Augustowskie. They are connected by the Klonownica river. The Augustowski Canal runs here.
Attractions at Lake Necko
Active tourism and attractions are located on both banks of the Netta. The western part is a marina, pier and the grassy Bielnik beach. The eastern part is a city beach. It is here that the main resting place for tourists who want to play in the water, who also do not have a boat, is located. Behind the beach is the city’s amphitheater, where many events take place during the season. One of the first water ski lifts in Poland is located next to the beach. It is the biggest sport attraction of the lake and the whole area. There is also a rope park nearby. There are many parking lots in the area, but it is worth coming here on foot from the city center.
Necko Lake is also a place for organized water trips. The Augustów Shipping began organizing its first cruises in 1953. About 100,000 passengers use its services annually. The shipping season begins in April and lasts until late autumn. There are 200-seater ships at their disposal: Sajno and Serwy, and a 330-seater – the Swoboda catamaran. Since 2014, a vessel stylized as a Yotvingian war boat has been sailing on the Augustów lakes. Besides, there are many places where you can rent a boat, canoe or pedalo.
This is also where the canoe trail of the Rospuda River ends. It is one of the most beautiful rivers (Podlasie) and for this reason, in 1991 the Rospuda Valley protected landscape area was designated. The route from Garbaś Lake to Augustów takes about 4 days. It is worth noting that the entire Rospuda Valley can only be visited by canoe.
Fish in Lake Necko
The leaseholder and guardian of the lake is the PZW Fisheries Farm in Suwałki. In addition to the fishing license, a separate fishing permit is required. Fish species found in the reservoir: pike, perch, eel, catfish, roach, bream, chub, ide. You should look for a big pike by the hills, opposite the “Kresów” holiday center and at the junction of Neck and Rospuda. In 2019, the city of Augustów signed a contract with the lake’s tenant. As a result, in the years 2020-2023, no commercial fishing will be carried out and the lake will be stocked with fish. For this, the city pays PLN 20,000 a year. Perhaps the contract will be extended even further.
