LOCATION
Kashubian lakes are a part of the Kashubian Lake District – part of the Eastern Lake District, the northernmost of all Pomeranian lake districts. It is a land of vast forests, rolling meadows, scenic villages and ravines strewn with rocks. Picturesque lakes with little islands and peninsulas are countless. The region’s biggest asset besides calm and quiet is the fresh air and clean water.
KAYAKER’S FAVOURITE
It is no wonder that Kashubian Lakes attract flocks of kayakers. Particularly often chosen by kayakers is The Raduńskie Circle – 14 lakes near Chmielno, which form a 40km long string shaped like an uneven circle. The lakes fill deep glacier-carved troughs. Their shores are steep and covered by beech and pine forests. Such a scenery feels like a mountain landscape, what in this area is truly uncommon. There is also an interesting kayaking trail which takes in ten of the lakes.
ATTRACTIONS
The Lake Wdzydze, seen from above, mark out with its cross shape. Where its arms meet, the ancient village of Wdzydze Kiszewskie lies on the northern shore. The lake has eight islands. The largest of them – Ostrów – is renowned for the Kashubian Ethnographic Park located on its eastern fringes. Its collection of 30 traditional wooden buildings from the 17th-19th centuries is an important heritage of a Slaw ethnic group from Pomerania. It includes several ornate arcaded houses, fishermen’s huts, a Dutch windmill, a school, manor house and a small church. The island also plays host to summer sailing and windsurfing regattas, which transformed the village into a lively tourist spot. Visiting Chmielno you must see the Museum of Kashubian Ceramics established by the Necel family, mainly known for potters of Pomerania. A major attraction is also the Gothic Carthusian Church from the 14th century, which doesn’t have aisles but just the nave.
