Lake Pancharevo (Панчаревско езеро, ''Pancharevsko ezero'' or Язовир Панчарево, ''Pancharevo Reservoir'') is an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in western

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, at the end of the

Pancharevo Gorge Pancharevo Gorge (Pancharevo saddle) is a deep and narrow gorge in the upper stream of the Iskar River in western Bulgaria. It is sandwiched between the mountains of Vitosha and Plana to the southwest and the Lozen Mountain to the northeast. The g ...

of the

Iskar River The Iskar ( bg, Искър, ; la, Oescus) is a right tributary of the Danube. With a length of 368 km it is the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgaria.Vitosha Vitosha ( bg, Витоша ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Conveni ...

and Lozenska mountains. It is 3 km long and up to 700 m wide, reaching a depth of 30 m, and is situated 12 km southeast of the capital city of

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, where the

Vitoshka Bistritsa Bistritsa or Vitoshka Bistritsa ( bg, Бистрица; Витошка Бистрица; Бистришка река), is a river in western Bulgaria, tributary of Iskar River. It flows from the eastern slopes of Golyam Rezen Peak on Vitosha Mou ...

flows into the

Iskar Iskar may refer to: ;Bulgaria * Iskar (river), a river in western Bulgaria * Iskar Reservoir, situated on the Iskar River * Iskar (town), a town in the Iskar Municipality of the Pleven Province * Iskar Municipality * Iskar, Sofia, one of 24 muni ...

. The villages of

Pancharevo Pancharevo ( bg, Панчарево, , also transcribed as Pančarevo) is a resort village and district located on the outskirts of Sofia close to Vitosha, Lozenska and Plana mountains and occupies the southeastern part of the Capital Municipa ...

and

Kokalyane Kokalyane ( bg, Кокаляне) is a village in the municipality of Sofia, in the district of Pancharevo in Bulgaria. As of 2007 it has 1,859 residents. The village is situated at the foothills of the Vitosha mountain, 18 km from the center of S ...

and the Pancharevo

mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...

s lies on the lake's western shore, while at the southern end of the lake there is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power station. Sports centres and catering establishments have been constructed around the lake, making it a favoured outing location for the residents of Sofia. Further upstream in the gorge there are two additional artificial lakes: the

Pasarel Reservoir The Pasarel dam and reservoir is located 20 km to the southeast of Sofia, Bulgaria at an altitude of 700 m. The dam is situated roughly halfway between the Iskar Reservoir and Lake Pancharevo near the village of Dolni Pasarel. Though built ...

and the

Iskar Reservoir The Iskar Reservoir (язовир „Искър“) is the largest reservoir in Bulgaria. It is situated on the Iskar River and provides 2/3 of the water for the capital Sofia, also being used for producing hydroelectricity. The reservoir has a t ...

. The lake was created in 1956 in connection with the construction of Hydrohub "Iskar", as a drinking, irrigation and energy source for the Sofia Agglomeration. The (Sredets) National Rowing Base is located on the shore of Lake Pancharevo. Built in 1968, the rowing base is the first modern facility in

, specializing in conducting training and competitions in rowing events. In 1977 it hosted the World Cup canoe in the capital, and in 1981, the World Championships for young people in water sports. Over the years, it has been host to several world championships, national and international rowing regattas, and the European Triathlon Championships. Sredets Rowing base

External links

*{{commonscat-inline, Pancharevo Lake

Landforms of Sofia City Province Sports venues in Sofia