AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Plaża nad Zalewem Sulejowskim is the beach and waterside recreation ground at the foot of the Smardzewice dam, where the Pilica river is held back to form the Sulejów Reservoir in central Poland's Łódź region. It is the region's flagship summer address: a sandy-grassy shore, a tidy promenade, an official lifeguarded bathing area, and wide open water framed by pine forest.↗↗↗
What sets it apart is the sheer scale of the setting. The reservoir stretches 17.1 km behind a concrete-and-earth dam that is 1,200 m long and 16 m high, deep enough at the wall to reach around 10 m. You can stand by the water at the beach, then walk out along the dam and look back over the whole basin — a rare engineered-landscape view that doubles as a proper swimming beach on hot days.↗
The beach area was recently renovated into an award-winning recreation ground, with playgrounds, a beach-volleyball court, an outdoor gym, a covered summer stage and a long viewing pier. Backed by a 4.7 rating from well over a thousand visitor reviews, it has become a dependable day-trip destination for Łódź, Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Piotrków Trybunalski alike.↗
Good to know
- Tourist attraction
- Wheelchair accessentrance
- Parking
- 4.7 / 51,411 reviews
- Poland
A reservoir built, a beach born
The Sulejów Reservoir (Zalew Sulejowski) is a man-made lake, created between 1969 and 1973 by damming the Pilica river at its 139th kilometre in Smardzewice. It was built to store water and supply drinking water to Łódź and Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and it still serves flood protection, retention and even power generation — a small hydroelectric plant works at the dam, using the energy of the water released through it.↗↗
The result is one of the largest bodies of water in central Poland: roughly 2,700 hectares, about 17 km long, up to around 2 km wide, with a shoreline of some 58 km. The beach at the dam sits right where this engineered lake is deepest — near the wall the water reaches about 10 m — giving the swimming area a wide, open-water feel unusual for the flat Polish heartland.↗
The beach and its recreation ground
Approached from ul. Klonowa, the site is organised around a promenade that runs the length of a sandy-grassy beach. This is a purpose-built family recreation ground rather than a wild shore: there are two children's playgrounds (one of them a water playground), a beach-volleyball court, an outdoor gym and a covered summer stage for events, alongside changing rooms, benches, litter bins and bike racks, with landscaped greenery, lighting and CCTV throughout.↗
The renovation also revived the long pier (molo) reaching out over the water — around 300 m of new walkway and viewing terraces with benches and lighting — and added a foot-and-cycle access road, parking and a promenade heading toward the dam itself. The whole project was recognised in Poland's national 'Modernizacja Roku' renovation awards, and you can tell on the ground: it is clean, well-signed and built for staying a whole day.
A separate, officially registered bathing area (kąpielisko) operates here, with a marked swimming zone in the water, a shallow children's bathing area, a beach zone for recreation and sport, lifeguard cover with rescue equipment, and modern toilets and showers. The entrance and parking are wheelchair-accessible, making the waterfront usable for visitors with limited mobility.↗
On the water, and around it
Beyond swimming, the reservoir is a hub for wind- and paddle-powered sport: sailing, kayaking and windsurfing are all popular here, and there are marinas, boat rentals and a cycle path circling the lake. Because parts of the water fall under a 'quiet zone', engine-powered craft are restricted — which keeps the surface calm and the air clean, a big part of the appeal for paddlers and birdwatchers.↗
The beach lies inside the Sulejów Landscape Park, and dense pine forest wraps the eastern and northern shores, so a swim pairs easily with woodland walks and cycling. Anglers come for the lake's fish stocks, and the dam crest itself — open to vehicles and sightseers — offers the classic panoramic view over the water that the place is named for.
Nearby in the Pilica valley
This stretch of the Pilica valley packs in unusual sights within easy reach. The Niebieskie Źródła ('Blue Springs') nature reserve is famous for its rare karst springs that well up in striking blue pools, while the Groty Nagórzyckie are chambers left by an old quartz-sand mine. Even the reservoir bed hides active karst 'thundering springs' that show at the surface as rings in the water or ice. A beach day here can therefore easily be combined with a few genuinely odd natural and industrial curiosities.↗
What makes it special
The deepest part of the Sulejów Reservoir meets a tidy sandy beach right at the foot of the 16-metre dam.↗
A ~300 m viewing pier lets you walk out over open water and look back across the whole lake.
Official lifeguarded bathing area with marked swimming zones, a children's shallows, changing rooms, showers and accessible parking.↗
Quiet-zone rules on much of the reservoir make it ideal for sailing, kayaking and windsurfing rather than noisy powerboats.
A little planning goes a long way
- The guarded bathing season runs 1 July to 31 August, daily from 10:00 to 18:00; outside those months the beach, promenade and pier are still open for walks, and swimming is then at your own risk.↗
- Check the day's water-quality flag before swimming: like many shallow reservoirs, the Zalew Sulejowski can develop blue-green algae blooms that temporarily close the bathing area.↗
- Approach from ul. Klonowa, rebuilt with a foot-and-cycle path, parking and lighting; pair the beach with a walk out along the dam crest for the panoramic view.↗
- For a fuller day out, combine the beach with the nearby Niebieskie Źródła springs and Groty Nagórzyckie chambers, or rent a kayak or paddleboat to see the shoreline from the water.↗↗
About this guide
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.
- google maps
- Kąpielisko Kąpielisko na sztucznym zbiorniku rzeki Pilicy:Serwis Kąpieliskowy - Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny
- Zalew Sulejowski i teren rekreacyjno-wypoczynkowy przy zaporze nad Zalewem Sulejowskim w Smardzewicach | Kocham Tomaszów! - oficjalny serwis turystyczny Tomaszowa Mazowieckiego i okolic
- Teren Rekreacyjno-Wypoczynkowy nad Zalewem Sulejowskim w Smardzewicach - Modernizacja Roku
