Morské oko (called ''Veľké Vihorlatské jazero'' in the past; literally "Sea Eye") is a lake in the
Vihorlat Mountains in eastern
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. It is the largest non karst lake and the third biggest natural lake in Slovakia. It is at an altitude of 618
m, covers 0.13 km² with a maximum depth of 25.1 m. It is drained by the river Okna.
The oldest known description of the lake can be found on two maps, dating back to 1687. The earliest official name of the lake known as ''Blatné jazero'' (germ. ''Blatto teich'') dates back to 1784. The name ''Veľké Vihorlatské jazero'' was introduced in 1933.
The lake itself is natural home of 8 kinds of fish. However, the natural species are just
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...
(''Salmo trutta'' m. ''fario''),
common minnow (''Phoxinus phoxinus'') and
stone loach
The stone loach (''Barbatula barbatula'') is a European species of fresh water ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is one of nineteen species in the genus ''Barbatula''. Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowin ...
(''Barbatula barbatula''). In the past there was set
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss''), today the prevailing species is
common chub (''Squalius cephalus'').
It is a national nature reserve (covering 1.08 km²) since 1984 and part of the
Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area
Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area ( sk, Chránená krajinná oblasť Vihorlat) is one of 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is in the middle part of the Vihorlatské vrchy mountains, in eastern Slovakia. It is in the Hu ...
.
Gallery
Morské oko (v máji) 002.jpg
Morské oko (v máji) 006.jpg
Národná prírodná rezervácia Morské oko - jazero, CHKO Vihorlat (03).jpg
Kaštielik Morské oko 002.jpg, Mansion Morské oko, built in 1924 for Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi
Sninský kameň (v máji) 026.jpg, View of Morské oko from Sninský kameň in spring
See also
*
Protected areas of Slovakia
External links
National nature reserve Morské Oko at the State Inventory of Specially Protected Parts of Nature and LandscapeMorské oko - Sirava.net
Morské oko at Sirava.sk (many pictures)
Lakes of Slovakia
Protected areas of Slovakia
Geography of Prešov Region
Tourist attractions in Prešov Region
{{Protected-area-stub