Zaovine Lake

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Заовинско језеро · Zaovinsko jezero

Zaovine Lake is an artificial lake on the southern slopes of Tara Mountain in western Serbia, within Tara National Park, between the village of Zaovine and the resort of Mitrovac. Nicknamed the Jewel of Tara, it has five bays, linked by a paved road that circles the water, among conifer forests.

How it formed

It was created between 1975 and 1983 by damming the Beli Rzav with a 125 m dam, as the upper reservoir of the Bajina Bašta II reversible hydroelectric plant. When the Drina is high, its water is pumped up through an 8 km pipeline; when conditions reverse, it flows back to turn the turbines. Five small lakes nearby also feed it.

History

The lake takes its name from the village of Zaovine, whose central hamlet of Vežanje was flooded. Near here, in 1875, the botanist Josif Pančić discovered the Serbian spruce, on Kik hill, which was later destroyed to build the dam. In April 2019 the lake was drawn down by about 40 m in 15 days, and landslides on the exposed banks damaged 21 houses and local roads.

Nature

Fourteen species of fish live in the lake, among them chub, roach, nase and perch. Over 600 plant species grow on Tara, including the Serbian spruce and edelweiss, and chamois live here too.

Gallery

3 photos

Photo: Original uploader was sr:Корисник:Goldfinger at sr.wikipedia (own work) · CC BY 2.5

Photo: The original uploader was Goldfinger at Serbian Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Earlywho · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Visit

Getting there

Nearest settlement: Bajina Bašta

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Winding roads lead here through the forest from Kaluđerske Bare and Perućac. The clear water is used for swimming and rowing, mountain paths lead through the forest, and Mitrovac, a hub of the national park, has marked trails nearby. The water level can change with the plant’s needs. See the Tara pages for viewpoints, the Banjska stena walk and other tips.

Fishing permits are issued only by the Tara National Park company: annual permits at its offices, and daily and seven-day permits also from the duty ranger. The daily limit is 3 kg of native fish, and brown trout may not be caught.