Śniardwy (German: )[1] is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland.
At 113.8 square kilometres (43.9 sq mi), Śniardwy is the largest lake in Poland. It was also the largest lake in Prussia and in Germany, when Warmia-Masuria was under German rule and formed the southern part of East Prussia.[2] It is 22.1 kilometres (13.7 mi) long and 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) wide. The maximum depth is 23 metres (75 feet). There are eight islands on the Śniardwy lake.[3]
Śniardwy was formed by retreating ice sheet and draining floodwaters occurring as the result of ice calving ahead of the receding glacier. Among the eight islands are: Szeroki Ostrów, Czarci Ostrów, Wyspa Pajęcza, Wyspa Kaczor and others. Surrounding settlements include Popielno, Głodowo, Niedźwiedzi Róg, Okartowo, Nowe Guty, Zdęgowo and Łuknajno.[3]
Among the many inlets, two are named as separate lakes: Warnołty and Seksty. Śniardwy connects with the following lakes: Tuchlin, Łuknajno, Mikołajskie, Roś, Białoławki and Tyrkło. It is surrounded by the system of canals known as Kanały Mazurskie (Masurian Canals), with numerous sluices. Together, they form the Polish Masurian Lake District.[3]