Mamerki Leśny Zakątek: Rustic Charm and Wartime Bunkers on Lake Mamry
Mamerki Leśny Zakątek is a delightfully unpretentious little marina, just the place for a lunchtime stop or a quiet night alongside. It’s friendly, relaxed and has a charm all of its own. Don’t expect anything fancy. There’s a simple wooden jetty to moor alongside, no shore power and just a few portable toilets. But that’s part of its appeal. The mooring fees are perfectly reasonable, and the bosun comes round to collect them himself, so you don’t even have to go looking for him. Everything feels pleasantly informal. It’s a lovely place to slow down, enjoy the peace of the surrounding woodland, tuck into some excellent local fried fish or head off to explore the German bunkers left over from the Second World War, hidden away in the nearby forest.
The marina lies in a small bay on the north-western shore of Lake Mamry, on the site of an old binduga — a traditional lakeside clearing once used for handling timber. It sits opposite Sosnówka Island, about 500 metres to port as you approach the entrance to the Masurian Canal. The water becomes quite shallow close to the shore, but the setting is beautiful, with a wonderfully old-fashioned Masurian feel. From the cockpit, you can sit and watch the weather roll across the lake, with great banks of cloud gathering above Sosnówka Island. I could have watched it for hours. We spent much of our time at Mamerki simply relaxing on board. We weren’t staying long, as our main reason for stopping was to visit the bunkers, but the place made quite an impression on us.
And then there was the fish. At a little waterside place called Barka u Anity, I tried catfish for the first time in my life. What a treat! It was absolutely delicious. The owners were lovely, and their young son was happily selling popcorn to the customers when we visited. It’s the sort of small detail that stays with you. The fish is filleted on the premises and prepared to a family recipe with their own blend of spices. It was clearly popular — the place was busy, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Right on the water’s edge, with a relaxed atmosphere and excellent food, Barka u Anity is somewhere I’d happily return to.
Mamerki also treated us to the most spectacular downpour of our entire cruise. I watched it from the boat as the rain came down in sheets, drumming on the deck and blotting out the view across the lake. There was nothing for it but to sit tight and wait for the weather to pass. And when it did, what a sight. Sosnówka Island appeared beneath a blanket of low, brooding clouds, looking quite extraordinary. The whole scene had changed, and I sat there taking it all in. Sometimes, being on a boat is about nothing more than having the time to appreciate a moment like that.
For such a modest little marina, Mamerki Leśny Zakątek left us with some wonderful memories. We were genuinely sorry when it was time to cast off.
August 2026
