Photo: Várkonyi Tibor · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Sfânta Ana (Saint Anne's Lake) is the only crater lake in Romania. It lies in the crater of the Ciomad volcano in the Eastern Carpathians, near Tușnad, inside the Mohoș Nature Reserve. Almost circular, like a painter's palette, it is fed only by rain and snow, so its water is exceptionally pure. Swimming in it has been prohibited since 2018.
How it formed
The lake sits in the crater of an extinct volcano, Ciomad, the site of the most recent volcanic eruption in the Carpathians and in Eastern Europe. Its age is not accurately known: researchers have estimated the date of the last eruption at anywhere from tens of thousands of years ago to the early Holocene. The volcano is inactive, but a 2019 study indicated that it could still be reactivated. Gases still rise through the lake bed and the crater walls.
The lake is supplied only by precipitation, so its water has very little mineral content and is close to distilled water in purity. Its depth is constantly decreasing, and it is much shallower now than in the nineteenth century. In winter it is covered by a thick layer of ice.
History
The lake has long been surrounded by belief.
Legends
One popular belief says the lake has an underground link to the sea, although no visible connection exists. Another says that women who cannot have children may have their wish granted after a pilgrimage to the lake.
Nature
The lake lies in the Mohoș Nature Reserve, a complex natural, geological, plant and animal reserve. The poor nutrient content of its water is partly due to the gas emissions through its bed. Its only fish are dwarf catfish.
Gallery
Visit
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
Swimming in the lake has been generally prohibited since April 2018, and is allowed only for sporting events with special permits. A Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Anne stands beside the lake, and tourist paths link it with Băile Tușnad. Local people have an old way of telling the weather: two fissures in the mountain give off a sharp smell of gas when the air pressure falls, and that is taken as a sign of a storm.
The walk and the bog
The loop around the lake is an easy marked path of about 30 minutes. A hike from Băile Tușnad to the lake takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, and a start around 9–10 a.m. leaves time to rest by the lake. Next to it lies the Mohoș bog, an older crater with moss and carnivorous sundew, which you may visit with a guide. The entry fee is about 40 lei and may include the bog; ask at the gate whether it is per person or per car. Feeding bears was banned at the site in 2022.
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Sources & data
- Romanian Wikipedia: Lacul Sfânta Ana, Wikimedia Foundation
- OpenStreetMap: Lacul Sfânta Ana (way 27742482), OpenStreetMap contributors
- English Wikipedia: Lake Sfânta Ana, Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata: Lake Sfânta Ana (Q924912), Wikimedia Foundation
- România frumoasă din Harghita: Lacul Sfânta Ana, Tinovul Mohoș, Euronews România