Blidinje Lake

Blidinje Lake (Bosnian: Blidinje jezero), is alpine lake located in Blidinje Nature Park, on karstic Blidinje plateau, Bosnia and Herzegovina, between Jablanica, Tomislavgrad and Posušje, and is largest of its kind in the country. The lake is most important hydrogeological feature of the park and indeed entire Dinaric Alps karst within Bosnia and Hezegovina.[1]

Blidinje Lake
View of Blidinje Lake from Vran
Blidinje Lake
LocationTomislavgrad/Posušje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates43°36′25″N 17°29′48″E
TypeEndorheic
Basin countriesBosnia and Herzegovina
Max. length2.5 km (1.6 mi)
Max. width2.1 km (1.3 mi)
Surface area5.25 km2 (2.03 sq mi)
Average depth0.5 m (1 ft 8 in)
Max. depth3.0 m (9.8 ft)
Surface elevation1,185 m (3,888 ft)
FrozenIn winter
SettlementsTomislavgrad, Posušje

Characteristics

It is located at an elevation of 1,185 metres (3,888 ft) above sea level and is 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) long and 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) wide. Maximal depth of the lake is only 4.5 metres (15 ft), while average depth is around 1 metre (3.3 ft). The lake area varies from 2.5 to 6 km2, and the average depth is about 1.9 m.

Blidinje lake is direct result of a glacial retreat, however, according to the Poklečani parochial office documents and recent research into matter of karst hydrology of the plateau, the lake is, also, a product of anthropogenic intervention and activities of human inhabitants. According to these documents, the lake is artificial and it was created at the end of the 19th century. In order to keep the water that is lost through the subterranean passage, local residents and cattle breeders sealed sinkholes with branches and clay, so that water could not find its way underground. Therefore, the lake was formed. Its surface area varies between 2,5 and 6 km², while its average depth is 1,9 m, with altitude of 1.184 m a.s.l.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Nature Park Blidinje". Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  2. Radoš, Denis (2017). "A history of the occurrence of Blidinje lake (Bosnia and Herzegovina)". Geoadria. 22 (1): 1–40. doi:10.15291/geoadria.1334. Archived from the original on 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
Images of Blidinje Lake
  • Catholic chapel in front of the lake
  • View of mountains from the lake
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