Black Lake (
Montenegrin: ''Crno jezero'') is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in the Municipality of
Žabljak
Žabljak ( Serbian / Montenegrin: Жабљак, ) is a small town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 1,723.
Žabljak is the seat of Žabljak Municipality (2011 population: 3,569). The town is in the centre of the Durmitor mountain ...
in northern
Montenegro
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[Rellie, Annalisa, & Rudolf Abraham. ''Montenegro''. Bucks, UK: Bradt Travel Guides, p. 256.]
It is a
glacial lake
A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier.
Formation
Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...
, located on Mount
Durmitor
Durmitor ( Montenegrin: Дурмитор, or ) is a massif located in northwestern Montenegro. It is part of the Dinaric Alps. Its highest peak, Bobotov Kuk, reaches a height of .
The massif is limited by the Tara River Canyon on the north, the ...
, at an elevation of 1,416 m. It is 3 km from the town of Žabljak.
Geography
Black Lake lies at the foot of Međed Peak and has an area of 0.515 square km. The lake consists of two smaller lakes: Big Lake (''Veliko jezero'') and Little Lake (''Malo jezero''). The lakes are connected by a narrow strait that dries up during the summer, creating two separate bodies of water.
* Big Lake has an area of 0.338 square km, maximum depth of 24.5 m, maximum length of 855 m, and maximum width of 615 m.
* Little Lake has an area of 0.177 square km, maximum depth of 49.1 m, maximum length of 605 m, and maximum width around 400 m.
The maximum length of Black Lake is 1,155 m. Little Lake actually has a greater volume because it is deeper.
Black Lake is filled by numerous mountain streams, the best known being Mlin Creek. Other streams have no name because they appear periodically, when snow from Mount Durmitor is melting.
Tourism
Black Lake is the premium tourist attraction of the Durmitor area. It is the largest and the best known of 18 glacial lakes on the mountain. The lake is easily accessible, as it is within walking distance from the center of the town of Žabljak.
A 3.5 km walking path circles around entire lake, and it is a popular destination for recreation and
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
. Many mountain trails lead from it to other smaller lakes around Žabljak. The Katun restaurant is located on the shore of the lake and serves traditional
Montenegrin dishes.
File:Big Black Lake.jpg, Big Lake
File:Small Black Lake 1.jpg, Little Lake
File:Crno jezero.jpg, Black Lake
References
{{commons category, Crno jezero
Lakes of Montenegro
Glacial lakes