Once a symbol of wilderness, the cain of lakes is changing under the influence of intensive apartment and hotel development. New developments are restricting access to the lakes, affecting the ecosystem and landscape. Will they lose their unique character?
The Masurian Lakes, for years regarded as a region of unspoiled nature, are increasingly becoming an area of intensive apartment and hotel development. Particularly problematic are "port-with-a-view" developments. Why? Although they do not formally restrict access to water, in practice they hinder it. At the same time, they dedicate the offer mainly to people from Warsaw.
Law and access to water
There are laws in Polish law that aim to protect access to public waters. According to the Water Law, fencing the shoreline of lakes and restricting access to them is prohibited, and every citizen has the right to free access to public waters. Article 32. mentions the principle of common use of water, "everyone has the right to the common use of public inland surface waters, internal sea waters and the waters of the territorial sea, unless otherwise provided by law," the law[1] reads. The right to the general use of waters to the extent indicated is granted to everyone.
New residential and hotel developments, while not directly prohibiting access, effectively restrict this access through private lands, exclusive beaches and estates. Thus, they are also a gentrifying element, as they are dedicated to the slightly more affluent.
overview
Let's take a look at what kind of developments are being built on the Warmian and Masurian lakes. In 2024 alone, at least four lakeside resorts have been built. In Ostróda, Olsztyn, Kalbornia and Ogonki.
Ostroda appears perhaps the most modest here, as it has allowed the development of another section of the northern bend of Lake Drweckie. Thus, the "Port Ostróda" complex will compete with a sizable existing resort with an Aquapark. Although formally the access to the lake remains open, the plot is separated from the lake by a strip of UTP on the local MPZP, on the visualizations we can see piers, which in practice will probably become a private space to be used mainly by apartment owners. However, it is not an unusually intensive development, certainly taller and with a larger volume than the neighboring single-family houses, but somehow blending in with the surroundings.
Ostróda, comparison of MPZP and satellite map with the investment site
In Olsztyn, on the other hand, a new development, is located near lakes Ukiel and Tyrsko. The name of the investment - Osiedle Dwa Jeziora - suggests their proximity. Here, however, we may be surprised, because the location is indeed in a thin strip of two lakes, but it is separated from one by a railroad, and from the other by a provincial road. The plot is not included in the local plan, although one is in preparation. The development of the parcel will fill in the breach between the single-family housing development to the west and the brand-new hotel facilities to the east. The four-story building complex will certainly look like a spatial dominant on its own, intuition tells me, however, that the city already has investment plans for the part where these buildings may disappear as well.
Olsztyn, location of the housing development shown on the satellite map
"Close to nature" "Luxury on the shores of the lake" - these are the slogans that greet us if we look at the site of the Masurian Kalbornia, an estate establishment consisting of 54 houses. Of course, luxurious, exclusive, of a higher standard (developer). Buyers can choose from three models of houses: 78, 87 and 109 square meters. Additional options available for each model of houses include garden arrangements, an outbuilding, a jacuzzi and an awning. All in the heart of Warmia and Mazury, on the border of the Dylewskie Hills Landscape Park buffer zone. As the investor emphasizes, the investment's advantage is its location halfway between Gdansk and Warsaw. There is also always the option of renting, "if you don't use your house at a given time, it can become a source of income". - they convince us on the website. A professional operator will take care of the property, and divide the profit in the proportion of 70 percent for the owner and 30 percent for the operator. Maybe it's just not worth going in for satellite photos or the local zoning plan. It will still turn out that the picturesque bird's-eye visualization is such a proposal to serve the product, as on the cover of the package. The worst thing would be if it turned out that it's actually an ordinary estate, dedicated to busy people from Warsaw, wishing to spend a summer weekend in the green.
Kalbornia, a comparison of the MPZP and the development plan of the project available on the website
Kalbornia, screenshot from the investment's website
Ogonki, located on the route of the Great Masurian Lakes, will soon open its doors at Port 69. As the investment's website reports, "on a plot with direct access to the water and the beach, two four-story apartment buildings are being built, which fit perfectly into the surrounding landscape." While the project on paper allows for unobstructed access to the water, wording such as "a marina with a private marina space is available for residents' use" is cause for concern. That is, a dedicated space, presumably, for a boat. But will there be free access to the pier? The building will be built on the site of the former tavern, but it retains nothing of its original form. Will part of the waterfront be transformed into an area reserved exclusively for apartment owners? We will find out soon enough. For now, one can recall the image of the former beach, where ducks, geese and coots liked to sit. The latter nest in the reeds, on a floating nest. Geese wind their nests in reeds, rushes, islets, on the shores of lakes and rivers. The new apartment building looks spectacular in the visuals, the website promises a connection to the beauty of the surrounding nature. Only that unpleasant feeling in the belly tells us that some will no longer be able to live here.
Ogonki - satellite photo showing the outline of the buildings and PZT from the investment website
Will Masuria remain a symbol of wilderness?
Will Masuria continue to be a symbol of wilderness in the future, or will it become another region subordinated to the real estate market? Vast reed beds, natural shores and wide strips of waterside vegetation are an indispensable hallmark of this region, which not only shaped the character of the landscape, but also played a key ecological role. They provided shelter for water birds such as grebes and swans, were a spawning ground for fish, and were also a natural filter to clean the water of pollutants.
The intensive development of the land of the lakes is certainly attractive to investors. Plots of land are cheaper here, and premium tourists looking for luxury by the water are probably easily enticed by marketing. But what if we are just irreversibly changing the ecosystem of the lakes? Natural shores are being replaced with concrete jetties and private piers, which interrupt the continuity of natural habitats. As a result of such interference, reed beds disappear, and with them bird breeding sites. The population of fish, which need shallow, vegetated places to spawn, declines. The water, deprived of natural filters in the form of aquatic plants, becomes more susceptible to eutrophication - a process in which excessive nutrients lead to algal blooms, a decrease in oxygen and the subsequent extinction of aquatic fauna. Perhaps this is the last moment to hold off on signing another WZka?
[1] Official Gazette. (2024). Water Law. Division II - Use of water (Journal of Laws 2024.1087 t.j.). Version in effect from January 1, 2025 to March 29, 2025. Accessed on: February 15, 2025, accessed at: https://sip.lex.pl/akty-prawne/dzu-dziennik-ustaw/prawo-wodne-18625895/dz-2
