Smradlivo Lake

The Smradlivo Lake (Bulgarian: Смрадливото езеро [smrɐdˈlivoto ˈɛzɛro]) is a glacial lake located in the central section of the Rila mountain range, south-western Bulgaria. It is the second of the five Smradlivi Lakes and is situated at an altitude of 2,298 m in a hanging valley facing the valley of the Rilska River to the north between the summits of Rilets (2,713 m) to the south-west and Kyoravitsa (2,612 m) to the south.[1] It falls within the boundaries of the Rila Monastery Nature Park.[2]

Smradlivo Lake
Smradlivo Lake
Coordinates	42°07′15″N 23°28′28″E
Primary inflows	precipitation
Catchment area	Rilska River
Basin countries	Bulgaria
Max. length	900 m (3,000 ft)
Max. width	260 m (850 ft)
Surface area	212,000 m2 (2,280,000 sq ft)
Max. depth	24 m (79 ft)
Water volume	1.72×10^6 m3 (1,390 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation	2,298 m (7,539 ft)

The Smradlivo Lake is oval shaped with a maximum length of 900 m the width of 260 m. With a surface area of 212,000 m² (21.2 ha) it is the largest glacial lake in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula.[1][3] Its depth reaches 24 m; the volume is around 1,720,000 m³.[1] Its outflow is at the northern end, forming a stream that flows into the Rilska River, a left tributary of the Struma, after 1.2 km. Along its northern shore there is a small dyke to regulate the outflow to the small Rilska cascade.[1][4] The waters of the Smradlivo Lake have low hardness, high content of oxygen and low oxidisability.[4] It sustains populations of brown trout and due to its remoteness there are brown bears, chamois and red deer roaming the forests in the vicinity of the lake.[5]

Its Bulgarian name literally means 'the stinking lake'. Many legends about the lake are linked with the 10th-century medieval Bulgarian hermit and saint John of Rila who found refuge in the nearby valleys and established the Rila Monastery.