Morské oko (called ''Veľké Vihorlatské jazero'' in the past; literally "Eye of the sea") is a lake in the
Vihorlat Mountains
Vihorlat Mountains (; , ''Vyhorliat,'' Hungarian: Vihorlát) or colloquially Vihorlat is a volcanic mountain range in eastern Slovakia and western Ukraine. A part of the range is listed as a World Heritage Site.
Etymology
The name is of Sla ...
in eastern
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. It is the largest non karst lake and the third biggest natural lake in Slovakia. It is at an altitude of 618
m, covers 0.13 km² with a maximum depth of 25.1 m. It is drained by the river Okna.
The oldest known description of the lake can be found on two maps, dating back to 1687. The earliest official name of the lake known as ''Blatné jazero'' (germ. ''Blatto teich'') dates back to 1784. The name ''Veľké Vihorlatské jazero'' was introduced in 1933.
The lake itself is a natural home to 8 species of fish. The native species consist of the
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
(''Salmo trutta'' m. ''fario''),
common minnow
''Phoxinus phoxinus'' (known colloquially as the Eurasian minnow, minnow, Channel minnow, or common minnow) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, minnows and related fishes. It i ...
(''Phoxinus phoxinus'') and
stone loach
The stone loach (''Barbatula barbatula'') is a European species of fresh water ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is one of nineteen species in the genus '' Barbatula''. Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowi ...
(''Barbatula barbatula''). In the past,
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') was introduced into the lake, but the prevailing species today is the
common chub (''Squalius cephalus'').
It is a national nature reserve (covering 1.08 km²) since 1984 and part of the
Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area
Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area () is one of 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is in the middle part of the Vihorlatské vrchy mountains, in eastern Slovakia. It is in the Humenné, Sobrance and Snina districts.
...
.
Gallery
Morské oko (v máji) 002.jpg
Morské oko (v máji) 006.jpg
Národná prírodná rezervácia Morské oko - jazero, CHKO Vihorlat (03).jpg
Kaštielik Morské oko 002.jpg, Mansion Morské oko, built in 1924 for Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi
Sninský kameň (v máji) 026.jpg, View of Morské oko from Sninský kameň in spring
See also
*
Protected areas of Slovakia Protected areas of Slovakia are areas that need protection because of their environmental, historical or cultural value to the nation. Protected areas in Slovakia are managed by institutions and organizations governed by the Ministry of the Environm ...
External links
National nature reserve Morské Oko at the State Inventory of Specially Protected Parts of Nature and LandscapeMorské oko - Sirava.net
Morské oko at Sirava.sk (many pictures)
Lakes of Slovakia
Protected areas of Slovakia
Geography of Prešov Region
Tourist attractions in Prešov Region
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