Lake Turawskie

Group of Lakes Turawskie consists of a large reservoir and three smaller lakes. It is situated 20 kilometres north-east of Opole near Turawa, Szczedrzyk and Kotorz Villages.
Lake Turawskie is an artificial reservoir built between the wars on the Mala Panew River in order to supply water to the Odra River.

Turawski Reservoir covers 20 square kilometres and has a depth of 13 meters in certain places.
Two smaller lakes, called Średnie and Małe, are situated among forests. These lakes use to be sand quarries, which were later filled with water. Sand from the quarries was used to build the embankment around Lake Turawskie.
The third lake, called Zielone as well as Srebrne or Szmaragdowe, is situated near Osowiec Village.

The great surface area of Lake Turawskie enables fantastic conditions for sailing sports. Large beaches, picturesque quiet secluded spots that are surrounded by undergrowth-rich pine forests are excellent recreation areas for the inhabitants of the Opole region and Silesia.

On the shoreline of the lake a multitude of seasonal and all-year recreation Centres were built. They offer a great range of services for both individual and group tourists.
There is a well-developed network of gastronomy, tourist and sport equipment rentals, overnight sailors' accommodations, car parks.

CLIMATE
Turawskie Lakes are situated in the warmest regions of Poland. In the final days of April the average temperature exceeds 10ºC. The long summer lasts approximately 100 days and begins at the turn May and June. Mild and long Autumns lasts approximately 40 days and usually begin around November 1st. Statistically the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 1ºC.

Prevailing winds in this area are from the west and the north-west during the summer and south and south-west in winter. Wind velocity is 2-5 m/s. Average rainfall is 650-mm. Maximum daily rainfall occurs in July (approximately 100 mm), minimum in February (approximately 40 mm). On average there are 20 thunderstorms per year.

Average water temperature of the largest lake during summer season is 16,8ºC. Average temperature in May is 14,1ºC; in July 17,6ºC; in September 19,2ºC.

FLORA

Lakes Turawskie are situated at the junction of the great Stobrawsko-Turawskie Forests, which once were a part of the primeval Silesia Forests. The forests adjacent to the lake cover 137 hectares. The predominate tree is pine mixed with birch, oak, spruce and less common varieties are larch, acacia and alder. Pine forests cover most of the area around the lakes and reservoir. Along the shoreline common spruce is predominant. In the valley among dunes there are marsh forests, mostly dried and covered with grass.

FAUNA

Turawski Reservoir is one of the most important breeding places for many rare and protected birds. It is also an important stopover for migrating birds. The stopover is mainly the eastern part of the Great lake, yearly flooded meadows and nearby forests. The total number of wild ducks living in this area during migration periods amounts to 25,000 birds. Fresh water fish breeding is carried out in the lake. The reservoir has been filled with fish since the beginning of its existence. Up to now you can fish for pike, zander, perch, eel. You can also find other fish like bream, roach, carp and tench.

RECREATION
The damned reservoir in Turawa, at its designing stage, was meant as a recreational area and continues as such. For Opole region (and not only) it is the area of rest and recreation. Experts claim that on the northern shores there can be 23,000 - 25,000 people at the same time. The southern shores can accommodate between 15,000 and 17,000 people.

On the edges of Lake Turawskie there are around 50 company owned recreation centres. On the northern shores there are 2,100 beds, the southern shores have 1,700 beds. Some of the centres are opened all year round for e.g.: Borowik, Pension Zielony.

On both shores there are two camping sites accommodating 1,300 tents or campers. On the shoreline there has been cabin construction carried out (200 cabins on the northern shore, 120 on the southern shore). Cabin construction is also taking place in the nearby villages, e.g.: Marszałki, Rzędów, Niwki.

Tourist - Recreation base provides accommodation for 11,500 people simultaneously. On the edges of the lake there are 4 restaurants, 2 private cafeterias, 16 cafeterias in the recreation centres, 4 commerce-gastronomy pavilions and 32 other commerce establishments.