Zakrzowek Lagoon

The Zakrzowek quarry was worked for limestone by the Solvay works until 1990, and when the pumps that kept it dry were switched off it filled with groundwater to a depth of over thirty metres, leaving vertical white walls dropping straight into water that is a strong turquoise from dissolved carbonate. For three decades it was an unofficial swimming and diving spot with no supervision, and a number of people drowned in it - the water is cold at depth, the sides give no exit, and the drops from the rim are lethal. The city bought the site and opened a managed complex in 2023 with a supervised bathing area, pontoons, changing rooms and lifeguards, and unauthorised swimming outside it remains prohibited. Around the water are footpaths, climbing crags used by Krakow climbers, and the Zakrzowek park. It is fifteen minutes from the old town.

What you actually see

• A flooded quarry - filled after the pumps stopped in 1990, over thirty metres deep.
• Turquoise against white - dissolved carbonate colouring the water below limestone walls.
• A supervised complex since 2023 - pontoons, lifeguards and a managed bathing area.
• Climbing crags - the quarry walls used by Krakow climbers on the rim.

When to go

June to September for swimming; all year for the walk. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Swimming outside the supervised area is prohibited and has killed people - the water is cold at depth and the sides offer no exit. The managed complex charges and is busy in summer. The rim paths have unfenced drops. Parking is limited.

Nearby

Krakow's old town is fifteen minutes north; Las Wolski is west.