Looking for an ideal trip to nature? Šoderica near Koprivnica offers everything in one place!

Šoderica today is a true natural retreat with beaches, swans, and lively events. It's an ideal spot for day trips, swimming, and relaxation in the heart of Podravina.

Somewhere between the playful branches of the Drava River and the silence of the Podravina forests lies a lake that has long outgrown its industrial beginnings. Šoderica, a name that carries the crunch of gravel and the whisper of water, is now one of northern Croatia’s most recognizable places for rest, pleasure, and memories. But its story didn’t begin as a tourist postcard, it started as miners’ sweat carved into the soil of Podravina.

At the end of the 19th century, this was not a place of peace, but of raw material. Gravel was the golden currency of a growing industry, and its extraction, first with shovels and carts, later with the help of steam-powered dredgers, shaped the early outlines of what would later become Šoderica. Water arrived slowly, underground, and quietly. The Drava River, whose capillaries spread throughout the region, began to feed the excavated pits, turning dust into a mirror.

Šoderica Lake, Koprivnica, Photo: xbrchx Depositphotos

Today, Šoderica covers around 150 hectares. In the north, it is shallower, with calm shores and small islands that resemble a wild labyrinth, while toward the south, it reaches depths of up to 20 meters. This is not dead water, but a lake that breathes along with the Drava, whose water levels are mirrored here with a slight delay, like the echo of a great river. The gravel bottom naturally filters the water, keeping it clear and suitable for swimming, although in recent years, the surrounding environment has been affected by certain sources of pollution, including an old landfill and uncontrolled wastewater.

Groves of poplar and willow trees surround Šoderica, while its shores are lined with dense reeds, bulrushes, and sedges that provide ideal habitats for wetland birds such as swans, herons, and wild ducks. The lake is home to many fish species, including carp, pike, and catfish, and in spring, the shallows come alive with the croaking of frogs and the appearance of newts, a sign that even a man-made landscape can transform into a rich and thriving ecosystem.

Šoderica Lake, Koprivnica, Photo: xbrchx Depositphotos

Yet despite the challenges, Šoderica has preserved its identity. As early as 1929, the first “Miss Šoderica” was crowned here, and fifty years later, thousands of swimmers, anglers, day-trippers, musicians, and lovers would gather along its shores every weekend. It became a symbol of freedom, a sea for those who couldn’t reach the coast. The northern shore turned into an urban oasis, with well-maintained beaches, a weekend settlement of over 400 cottages, camping areas, cafés, restaurants, and a kilometer and a half of sunlit, pebbled charm.

Šoderica Lake, Koprivnica, Photo: xbrchx Depositphotos

Summer at Šoderica is no longer just a season. It has become an institution. The municipality of Legrad, together with the Koprivnica-Križevci County Tourist Board, has for years nurtured an event that brings together music, adrenaline, and family fun all in one place. Here, people dance under the stars at electronic festivals like “Partyloop,” compete in the “Beer Throne Challenge,” enjoy concerts, join motorcycle meetups, and watch the sky from an open-air cinema. Children run across the pebbles, while adults relax in the shade and admire the swans.

In winter, the lake retreats into itself. A place that buzzes like a fair in summer becomes a sanctuary of silence. The return of migratory birds, especially swans and wild ducks, draws photographers and nature watchers. At such times, Šoderica reminds us that, above all, it still belongs to nature.

Šoderica Lake, Koprivnica, Photo: xbrchx Depositphotos

Further development is also planned: walking paths along the shore, educational trails about local flora and fauna, lookout points, hostels, organized camping areas, wooden pontoons, and small boats that will bring visitors closer to the water’s perspective. But the greatest value of Šoderica lies neither in its infrastructure nor in its events. It lives in the memories.

Because everyone who has ever come to this lake carries it with them. Perhaps as the sound of a first guitar on the shore, the scent of fried fish stew, a first dive, a first pedal boat ride, or even a first love. Šoderica is not a destination – it is an experience.

So next time you feel the urge to escape the everyday, turn toward Podravina. Don’t look for luxury. All you need is a blanket, a good hat, and a heart open to simple pleasures. Because Šoderica is waiting for you, and it will always have a story to tell.