10/01/2021
Vizitati Romania !!!
Ochiul Beiului (The Bey's Eye) – the lake that never freezes
One of the most beautiful natural lakes and among the most popular tourist attractions in Romania measures 284 square meters and is located in the proximity of Beusnita Waterfalls on Beu watercourse in the National Park Cheile Nerei-Beusnita, more precisely in Sasca Montana village in Caras-Severin County.
The Ochiul Beiului Lake has karst origins and is situated at an altitude of 310 meters, a depth of 3.6 m and its waters have a distinctive transparency, you can see trout swimming in it. The only way you can access the beautiful lake is on foot, through the woods, but the beautiful sights you’ll encounter will worth the trip.
As a matter of fact, the lake refreshes its waters from a karst intermittent spring and that’s why a constant temperature prevails every season. Moreover, in summer, the water is about 3 to 4 degrees, and in winter, the water temperature reaches 10 degrees above zero. Therefore, the migratory birds — the grey heron or wild ducks — remain here instead of migrating to the warmer countries during winter season.
Legend tells us that on the night of Midsummer, fairies, the beautiful girls that bewitch men by their charms, gather around the lake dancing and bathing. Locals associate the disappearing of those lost in the virgin woods with the deceitful power of the seven fairies.
Another legend says the lake has appeared a few hundred years ago when Beg, the son of a famous bey, fell in love with a shepherd’s daughter from Potoc village. He kidnapped the girl and locked her in the Big Tower of Nerei Gorges. The young girl managed to escape, but the bey’s father found out and ordered her ex*****on. The bey’s son was so sad finding the news that he shed so many tears as to fill the lake that today bears his name and has the color of his eyes. As a matter of fact, the lake is shaped as an oval crater or an eye, with a diameter of around 20 meters.
Furious and desperate that he can’t bring the young girl back to life, the bey’s son killed himself at the lake. So, they say the girl turned into a river, The Beusnita River, and the young Bey into a lake, ‘Ochiul Beiului’ Lake.