Crno Lake

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Crno lake with Međed peak in the background
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Crno lake with Međed peak in the background

Crno Lake (meaning literally Black Lake) is a lake in Žabljak municipality, in northern Montenegro.

It is a glacial lake, located on the Mount Durmitor, on an altitude of 1416 m. It is 3 km away from the town of Žabljak.

[edit] Geography

Crno lake's surface lies at the foot of Međed peak, and has an area of 0,515 square km. The lake consists of two smaller lakes, Veliko jezero and Malo jezero, literally Big lake and Small lake. The lakes are connected with a narrow strait, which dries up during the summer, thus creating two separate waterbodies.

  • Big lake has an area of 0,338 square km, maximum depth of 24,5 m, maximum length of 855 m and maximum width of 615 m.
  • Small lake has an area of 0,177 square km, maximum depth of 49,1 m, maximum length of 605 m and maximum width around 400 m.

The maximum length of the entire Crno Lake is 1155 m. It is worth mentioning that Small lake actually has a bigger volume, due to the greater depth.

Crno lake is filled by noumerous mountain streams, best known being Mlinski stream. Other streams have no name, as they appear periodically, when snow from Durmitor mountain is melting.

[edit] Tourism

Crno lake is premium tourist attraction of Durmitor area. It is the biggest and the best known of 18 glacier lakes on the mountain. The lake is easily accessible, as it is within walking distance from the center of the town of Žabljak.

The 3,5 km walking path circles around entire lake, and it is popular destination for recreation and hiking. Noumerous mountain paths depart from it to other smaller lakes around Žabljak. The Katun restaurant, is located on the shore of the lake, and serves meals prepared in traditional way.