Mamry is a lake in north-eastern Poland, located in the province of Warmia and Mazury, in the Masurian Lake District, in the area of the Great Masurian Lakes, at an altitude of 116 m. With an area of 104 km² it is the second largest in Poland. It has a maximum depth of 43.8 m and an average depth of 11 m. The lake was formed by the melting of a glacier, dammed by a moraine, the stones formed come from the glacier.
In fact, it consists of a total of six interconnected lakes. Mamry has 33 islands with a total area of 213 hectares, some of which are ornithological reserves.
The lake is a popular tourist destination. It is connected to Pregolya and the Baltic Sea by the disused Masurian Canal. Largest town on the shores of the lake is Giżycko.
The Mamry Coast
The lake is made up of six interconnected lakes (Kirsajty, Kisajno, Dargin, Święcajty, Dobskie).
Water regime
The outflow of water from the lake is both to the north (the Węgorapa River, a tributary of the Pregolya) and to the south (the Vistula River basin).
Use of the Mamry
The Węgorzewo-Ruciane-Nida shipping route runs through the lake. Some of the islands on the Mamry proper and Kisajno form a bird sanctuary. The Mamry and Lake Śniardwy are connected by a system of lakes and canals, which together form the Great Masurian Lakes.
Fishing and tourism are developed on the lake.
History of Lake Mamry
In the past, the lakes of the Mamry complex were separate bodies of water connected by streams. The water level in the lakes rose by several metres in the 16th to 17th centuries. following factors contributed to the increase in the water level in the complex: the dam on the Węgorapa River (mill), movements of the Earth’s crust – postglacial rebound in the northern part of the complex by 1 mm per year. The former road to the church from Kal to Węgielsztyn, some Prussian settlements and cemeteries were under water.
