Colorful little lakes

Lower Silesia hides many attractions and secrets. One of them is the Colorful Lakelets, which are located in the Rudawy Landscape Park near Kamienna Góra, in the village of Wieściszowice.

Kolorowe Jeziorka is a complex of four colorful ponds at the foot of Wielka Kopa. They are located nearby the village of Wieściszowice, in Rudawy Landscape Park in Lower Silesia. It is a unique place - it is enough to mention that in 2011 Colorful Lakelets in the plebiscite for the new 7 Wonders of Poland, announced by National Geographic Traveler, took the third place.

The lakes were created as a result of flooding the former mining areas with water, in the place of the former pyrite mine. Pyrite is an iron mineral that sparks easily, especially when struck with a flint. In industry, it is used to produce brown and red paints. It is also useful in making jewelry, because it is similar to gold. And because its value is much lower, it is sometimes called "fool's gold." In the past, it was valuable precisely due to the fact that it sparks strongly - thanks to this, it could be used in a wheel lock of firearms. Pyrite mines have been operating in this area since the end of the 18th century. The largest and oldest of them (1785), named Hoffnung, gave rise to the Purple Lake. The Blue Lake was created in the Neues Glück Mine, and the Green Lake in Gustav Grube.

Colorful Lakelets - all the colors of the rainbow

Colorful little lakes is a group of four lakes of different colors, In depending on the minerals that predominate in a given reservoir: purple (iron compounds), blue (copper compounds), yellow (sulphur compounds) and green. The intensity of their color may change, depending on the amount of rainfall and sunlight.

Purple Lake

The purple lake is located at an altitude of 560 m above sea level. Its size is approx. 110×430 m. It owes its color to iron and sulfur compounds. Its reaction is so acidic that no vegetation is able to develop in it, but it is surrounded by beautiful, lush green nature. In addition, its irregular shape is emphasized by sand escarpments smelling of sulphur. Surrounded by high rocks, it arouses the greatest admiration of tourists. In addition, sometimes you can see golden particles of pyrite in the water ...

Blue Lake

The Blue Lake (also called the Emerald, Blue or Azure Lake) is located at 635 m above sea level. It owes its color to copper compounds. It is oblong, about 50×150 m in size. The water in it is odorless, so it is worth sitting on the benches located around it and admiring its color - so unique that many people claim that the photos of this reservoir are a photomontage.

Yellow Lake

Yellow Lake is located at an altitude of 555 m above sea level. Part of the route around it leads through a cave in the rock, which is an additional attraction. Unfortunately, the lake dries up periodically, so it is worth coming after heavy rains. They are surrounded by a strong, characteristic smell of sulfur.    

Green Lake

The Green Lake is the highest, at 730 m above sea level. Its other name is the Black Lake, because after the flood in 1997 it gained a very graphite color. Since it is about a kilometer away from the others, and the walk lasts nearly 0.5 hours, it is the least visited. Especially since it dries periodically, so it may turn out that once we get there, there won't be much to see.

Colorful Lakelets - tourist routes

These charming water reservoirs can be visited by following the green trail running from Wieściszowice to Wielka Kopa, the highest peak in the eastern part of Rudawy Janowickie. This trail is covered by an educational trail that may be of interest to both younger and older participants of the trip. It starts in Wieściszowice, crosses Kolorowe Jeziorki, and ends in the village of Rędziny. This trip will take about 1.5 hours. Information boards allow you to learn about the history of local mining and the ecosystem of the Rudawy Landscape Park. In addition, in the area of Kolorowe Jeziorki there is a bicycle path, marked in blue.

Colorful lakes in pictures

These unique water reservoirs are the perfect backdrop for wedding photos. A photo session in such a unique place will certainly be a great souvenir after wedding in Lower Silesia if wedding in the mountains. Such a unique scenery will look great on social media, eagerly used to inform about important events in our lives. 

Colorful Lakelets accommodation

If we are planning a trip with an overnight stay in the vicinity of Kolorowe Jeziorki, we only have a camping site at our disposal. You can pitch a tent there or come with a motorhome. The fee is only PLN 30 per tent or motorhome. Of course, the field is equipped with a sanitary facility and offers access to electricity.

However, if we are not lovers of camping, we can look rooms in the nearby tourist area of Karpacz and its surroundings. For example, in Sosnowka we will find many hotels, guesthouses and manor houses, offering accommodation for every budget. 

Colorful Lakelets - practical information

Colorful little lakes are becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction, so it is worth planning a trip in the morning. In addition to water attractions, rock formations and tunnels hollowed out in them delight. A lot of shafts remain after the former mine (which ceased operation at the beginning of the 20th century), but they are not open to the public, although they have not been secured in any way.

Important information

• visiting the lakes is free of charge, however, when traveling by car, be prepared to pay for private car parks in the village;
• it is not allowed to camp or light bonfires in the area of Kolorowe Jeziorki;
• it is forbidden to swim in the Colorful Lakelets - chemical compounds that give them a unique color can be dangerous to humans;
• at an altitude of 560 m above sea level, i.e. where the Purple Lake is located, there are catering facilities;
• there are portable toilets in the Rudawy Landscape Park;
• it is possible to spend the night in a campsite.

Colorful Lakelets - how to get there?

These unique lakes are located in the Rudawy Landscape Park, being one of its greatest attractions. How to get there?

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Access by car to Colorful Lakes

We have good access to Colorful Jeziorki from the now very popular tourist destination Karpacz. It will take about 40 minutes. It is only a 35-minute drive from nearby Kowary. The road from the capital of Lower Silesia, from Wrocław, i.e. covering approximately 100 km, will take about 1.5 hours. It will be best to take the national road no. 5 to the village of Marciszów. There you have to turn towards Janowice Wielkie. After that, there are only about 7 km to go. Here you can already see the signposts directing to the car parks by the lakes. Colorful lakes map is below.

Access by public transport to Kolorowe Jeziorki

If you want to take a trip without a car, choose a train from Wrocław to Jelenia Góra or Szklarska Poręba. We get off in the village of Ciechanowice or Marciszów. Then we have to go on foot, or the last few kilometers can be covered by bus, but it is worth remembering that they run rather rarely. Reaching the place by tourist routes from Ciechanowice or Marciszów should not take more than 1.5 hours.

Directions from Dwór Korona Karkonosze: