About Roznow Dam

The Rożnów reservoir on the Dunajec river in Lesser Poland holds 155.8 million cubic metres and was completed in 1941 under German occupation during the Second World War — one of the few major infrastructure projects completed in occupied Poland during the conflict. The 40-metre concrete gravity dam near Rożnów in Małopolska impounds the Dunajec upstream of its junction with the Stradomka river, creating a 22-kilometre reservoir in the rolling foothills of the outer Carpathians. The dam's construction forcibly displaced thousands of villagers and submerged numerous settlements. Today the reservoir is operated by Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne for hydroelectric generation up to 50 megawatts, and also provides flood control attenuation for the Nowy Sącz region downstream. The smaller Czchów reservoir forms a downstream tandem with Rożnów. Angling — particularly for catfish, carp, and pike-perch — is the primary recreational use, and the Rożnów-Czchów lake complex is popular with boat anglers from the Kraków-Tarnów area. Ecological monitoring shows that sediment trapping behind the dam has significantly reduced gravel bed replenishment in the Dunajec downstream, affecting habitat for spawning fish. Fish passage facilities were retrofitted but their effectiveness remains limited for upstream salmon migration.