LOCATION
The Kashubian lakes are a part of the the Kashubian Lake District, which is in the Eastern Lake District – the northernmost of all Pomeranian lake districts. It is a land of vast forests, rolling meadows, scenic villages and boulder-strewn ravines. There are countless picturesque lakes with little islands and peninsulas. The region’s biggest asset, besides the calm and quiet, is fresh air and clean water.
KAYAKER’S FAVOURITE
It is no wonder that the Kashubian Lakes attract flocks of kayakers. A particularly popular part of the reserve, very often chosen by kayakers, is The Raduńskie Circle near Chmielno, consisting of 14 lakes which form a 40km long string shaped in an uneven circle. The lakes fill deep glacier-carved troughs. Their shores are steep and covered by beech and pine forests. Such scenery brings to mind a mountain landscape, which in this area is truly uncommon. There is also an interesting kayaking trail which takes in ten of the lakes.
ATTRACTIONS
Lake Wdzydze forms a cross shape when seen from a bird’s-eye view. Where its arms meet, the ancient village of Wdzydze Kiszewskie lies on the northern shore. The lake has eight islands, the largest of which – 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 houses, fishermen’s huts, a Dutch windmill, a school, a manor house and a small church. The island also plays host to summer sailing and windsurfing regattas, which have transformed the village into a lively tourist spot. Visiting Chmielno you definitely have to see the Museum of Kashubian Ceramics established by the Necel family, famous potters of Pomerania. Another attraction in the region is the 14th-century Gothic Carthusian Church, which doesn’t have aisles but just a nave.
