Harghita is a county located in eastern Transylvania, in the central area of Romania. The county capital is Miercurea Ciuc
Harghita County is among the most beautiful in the country, with several mountain groups, depressions and rivers that make up the amazing landscape
The climate is different depending on the altitude and the area. Temperatures exceed 10-15 degrees Celsius in the summer, and winter falls below 0 degrees Celsius, sometimes up to -8 degrees Celsius.
The forests surrounding the area are predominantly made of beech, oak or fir. In some areas, spruce, maple, red bumps, bark, or scores develop. The fauna is rich, with many animals living in the area, including deer, bears, wolf, fox, lash, jelly, Carpathian stag, mountain eagle, wild boar or squirrel.
The appearance of Red Lake
Red Lake is a natural dam lake located at an altitude of 983 meters, which was formed in 1837. Due to the abundant atmospheric rainfall, large areas of land on the north-west coast of Mount Ghilcos collapsed, sliding on the layer of clay, closed the Versace Valley, where there are many springs with a very high flow.
The water mirror is thrown by the tree trunks, which are the remains of the forest flooded by the lake. The shape of the lake resembles the letter L and has two branches: the Sheep Valley arm having a length of 900 m and the branch of the Suhard Valley 438 m.
The life of the lakes is relatively short, in this respect, neither Red Lake is an exception in the disappearance of the lake, an important role is the clogging of the lake basin with alluviums. On torrential rains, large amounts of alluviums reach the lake. The lake is fed by 4 large lakes: Verescheul, Licosul, Suhardul and Valea Sheep, as well as 12 other watercourses.
The initial dimensions of the lake are not known due to the fact that some parts of the shore were inaccessible. The dimensions of the lake after the measurements of Csiki Kâroly (1987) are as follows: 2830 m area, 114676 m 2 area, accumulated water volume: 587503 m³, maximum depth at the downstream end: 9.7 m.
The name of Mount Ghilcos first appeared in 1773 as the land of Count Lazarus, so it is much older than the toponym of Lake Ghilcos.
A unique place in Romania
Red Lake is the largest natural and mountain lake in Romania. Beyond these legends, there are scientific data that show how the lake was formed.
With the role of the cliffs, a whole valley was obstructed, and the fir forest was flooded. And today there are the stubs of the fir trees that spring from the water, which makes the Red Lake unique in Romania.
The unique appearance of the lake is given both the red color and the spruce trunks that are seen at the surface of the water. These are remnants of the resinous forest covering the valley before the landslide and the flood of the valley.
While the mollusks collapsed, their stumps were seen in the water and the surface of the lake. The stones were petrified under the action of calcium carbonate and iron oxide in the composition of the water, but the upper part of the shells subjected to the action of the weather was destroyed.
Legends of Red Lake
One of the legends says there was a poor girl in the area, adopted by the mercy of an old lady and a very rich boy, alone to his parents. The two fell in love at first glance, but the boy’s parents did not agree with the marriage.
One of the legends says there was a poor girl in the area, adopted by the mercy of an old lady and a very rich boy. The two fell in love at first glance, but the boy’s parents did not agree with this marriage.
On their way across the mountain, the young people were trapped by a storm and sheltered at the foot of the massif. A huge stone rolls down the valley and kills them. It is said that the blood flowed into the lake and that’s why it’s red.
Another legend, so bloody, is also based on a love story. An extremely beautiful girl named Eszter fell madly in love with a boy he met at a fair. The two decided to marry, but unfortunately, the boy was taken to the army, and the girl waited in vain.
Unfortunately, Eszter walked every day in the spring area near the lake to take water and cry for the boy. One day the girl was seen by a thief who had promised her all the riches of the world if she would marry her.
The girl refused, but the thief tried to force her to become his wife. It is said that Eszter called for the help of the mountains to escape and immediately a storm started. The two were buried under the rocks. It is said that in that place was formed the Red Lake today.
A third legend says there was a sheepfold in the area, and during a great storm the shepherds wanted to take shelter in Mount Killer. But they would have been buried with all their sheep and so the lake appeared.
The Red Lake is a stunning place in Romania that deserves to be visited