Lake Tałty looks calm. Especially in the morning or late in the evening, when the surface turns almost motionless. It is hard to believe then that there can be more than fifty metres of water beneath your boat.
Tałty is among the deepest lakes in this part of Masuria (the Masurian Lake District). Close to Skorupki (our village) the maximum depth reaches roughly 50.8 metres. That is about the height of a fifteen-storey building hidden under water.
The lake has a classic ribbon character. It is long, narrow and steep in places. That is why, in many spots, the bottom drops away sharply just a few metres from the shore.
Tałty is part of the main Great Masurian Lakes waterway. For decades sailing boats, passenger ships and smaller craft have passed through here on their way between Mikołajki, Ryn and the farther reaches of the lakes.
In the past this route had a far more practical role. Timber, goods and people were carried by water. Today the same passage is associated above all with rest.
Along the lake stretches the village of Tałty, which gave the whole body of water its name. It is one of those Masurian places where the lake has always been the axis of everyday life.
Perhaps the most striking thing about Tałty is the union of movement and quiet. On one hand, it is an important stretch of the waterway. On the other, you only need to sail a little further out, or step down to the water at dawn, to see a wholly peaceful Masuria.
This lake speaks well for the character of the whole region. Beneath an apparent calm lies enormous space, history and the quiet force of nature.