A flooded village and a road at your fingertips. A Polish lake has revealed traces of history

Lake Czorsztyńskie is a dam reservoir that was created by damming the waters of the Dunajec River in Lesser Poland. Hydrological drought has caused a disturbing sight to be observed there for several weeks now. The coastline has receded significantly, the pier ends in the sand, and boats have stranded on it.

Low water level in Lake Czorsztyńskie

The falling water completely exposed the bottom in many places. PAP’s drone photos clearly show the foundations of the village of Stare Maniowy, whose history dates back to the 14th century, and the former road.

To create the “lake” in the 1970s, the entire village of Maniowy was moved and built anew, on the southern slopes of the Gorce Mountains. The area of ​​the former royal village was completely under water.

The reservoir was created mainly for flood and fire protection. But thanks to its creation, the tourist values ​​of the region have also significantly increased. This is why accommodation facility owners hope that guests will not give up their stays at the end of the summer.

“And those who are hungry for history are invited to take a walk around the bottom of the lake, which hides the former Maniowy and many other secret places,” we read in one of the posts.

Tourists will see a trace of history from the 14th century

This is not the first time that Stare Maniowy has appeared to the eyes of walkers in recent years. This was also the case in February 2025. “We are only worried about the fact that there is a drought and there is no proper winter with snowfall, but there is no reason for alarm,” said the hydrologist, head of the hydrological department of the Niedzica Hydroelectric Power Plant Complex, Eng. Jerzy Stypuła.

Current water supply to Czorsztyński

Now there is also hope for increasing water flows into the reservoir. In the IMWM hydrological bulletin of September 15, we read that the current daily inflow is 6.17 m3 per second. “In history, we have recorded lower tides, even 4.5 cubic meters per second,” said Eng. in February last year. Stypula.

The water level zone on the Dunajec River is described as “upper low”.