Lake Techirghiol

Lake Techirghiol is a lake (a liman) in Northern Dobruja, by the towns of Eforie and Techirghiol. A narrow strip of land, which carries the national road DN39 and a railway line, separates it from the Black Sea. The lake covers about 10.7 km² and is up to 9 m deep. Because little fresh water flows in, its water has become hypersaline, and a layer of mud with therapeutic qualities has formed from the remains of a brine crustacean, Artemia, and an alga. The town of Techirghiol is a spa resort that uses the water and mud against conditions such as psoriasis, rheumatism and allergies, and a sanatorium opened there as early as 1899. The name comes from the Turkish Tekirgöl, "striped lake", after the white salt stripes that appear on the surface when the wind blows.