Romania · Eastern Carpathians

Lacul Ursu

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Medve-tó

Lacul Ursu, the Bear Lake, lies in the town of Sovata in the Praid-Sovata Depression, at the south-western foot of the Gurghiu Mountains in the east of Transylvania. It is a heliothermal salt lake that formed when a salt mine collapsed and was later filled by streams running down the nearby slopes. The lake is a declared natural monument and the centre of a protected area of the mixed nature-reserve type, protected by law since 2000, which also takes in the smaller lakes Aluniș, Paraschiva, Mierlei, Roșu and Verde. The woods around it grow on salt massifs covered with clay, and the reserve is home to brown bear, red deer, wolf and lynx.

How it formed

The lake reportedly formed on 27 May 1875, when debris plugged a pit in the salt mountain where two streams drained away. It lies at 475 m, covers about 4 ha and is up to about 18 m deep. A thin layer of fresh water from the streams floats on the dense salt water and acts like the lid of a greenhouse. The salty layer once reached 70 °C but now stays below 40 °C, as bathers mix the water and less fresh water flows in.

Nature

The reserve of 79 ha covers woods of oak, beech, spruce, pine and hazel on the clay over the salt, with lady’s slipper orchids and martagon lilies. Brown bear, lynx, wolf and red deer live in the area.

Gallery

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Photo: Christo · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Sovata’s Lake Ursu is a heliothermal lake: the sun heats the water under the fresh surface, so it is warm below in summer. It opens for bathing only from about late June to early September, to protect the layers, with set hours and a daily break for the water to settle. July is the warmest, and it cools by late August. The salty water makes floating easy; limit children’s time in the water. Bring flip-flops for the decks, and arrive early, as the parking fills in summer.

Buses link Sovata with Târgu Mureș, and the lake is within walking distance of most accommodation. Trails lead on from the lake, including the eco-trail towards Lake Paraschiva and the forest. See the Sovata Salt Lakes page for more.