Mezhgorje, famous for its meadows with peaks pointing high into the sky, surprises its guests not only with picturesque mountain landscapes. Among other attractions of this marvelous region are beautiful water bodies, rivers and lakes. The famous Sinevir Lake is considered to be the elder brother of all lakes, while the supremacy among the «younger» lakes rightly belongs to the Wild Lake.
Wild Lake is surrounded by dense medieval forests on the northern slope of Mount Pishkonya at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level and is a natural panorama of extraordinary beauty. Because of this, it is often compared to Synevir, and its smaller size gave birth to its second name — Ozirtse.
The lake is called wild because of a legend. According to this legend, centuries ago, when many lands were terrified by the cruelty of the Tatar-Mongol conquerors, one of them was returning from a campaign in Hungary through the place where the water surface of the Wild Lake spreads today…
Back then it was a large meadow surrounded by dense forests. The treasures looted during the campaign in the steep mountains became a heavy burden for the Khan and his army, and the leader ordered to hide them in this glade. When after some time he came back here to take the loot, he saw that nature had done it differently — a lake was formed on the place of the glade, which carried away the treasures taken away by the khan from people into its depths. Since then, the lake has been nicknamed Wild Lake because of its stroppy nature.
No matter what the legend tells us, having seen Ozirtse, everyone understands another reason why it is called Wild. The lake has been preserved in its original beauty since time immemorial. Scientists consider it unique because of the swamping, which occurs not only traditionally from the shores to the center, but also from the center to the shores. Ozirtse is already the rarest example of natural transformation of a lake into a swamp. In its center is a unique floating island formed by red-brown moss and representing tundra flora.
The mirror-like surface reflects the mountain scenery towering around, the age-old beeches, jawors, spruces and firs encircling Ozirtse. The waters of the lake are clean and transparent, and their depth does not exceed 10 meters, so you can clearly see in them flocks of fish minnows and trout, which are bred in this ecologically clean attractions of Zakarpattya.
Wild Lake is located in the territory of the Synevir National Nature Park, which includes other magnificent sights of Ukraine that inspire and amaze with their pristine beauty. An eco-friendly trail leads to Ozirtse and on the road to it, coming from Forest and Alloy Museum, you can enjoy mesmerizing views of the forest, and in summer treat yourself to its gifts — blueberries, raspberries, cranberries and blackberries.
A trip to the Wild Lake will not leave indifferent not only a connoisseur of nature, its beauty and richness, but also simply wishing to have a rest from the grayness and dust of the cities, to breathe in the healing, life-giving air and admire the magnificent landscapes.