The Batllava Lake (; ) is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

in northeastern

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. It is one of the largest

bodies of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...

in Kosovo and it has an area of . The

bathing lake A bathing lake is a natural or artificial lake that is used for public bathing and swimming. In the water, bathers mostly remain close to the shore and use the area for recreational purposes, such as sport, games and sunbathing. In Europe, becaus ...

is a main

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

destination in summer.

History

Construction of the Batllava Lake

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

began in 1961 and was completed by 1965. Initially, the dam was constructed to provide water for the

coal-fired power plants Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is a type of ...

Obiliq Obiliq, ) or Obilić ( sr-cyr, Обилић, ), also referred to as Kastriot ( sq-definite, Kastrioti, ) is a town and municipality in Kosovo. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 21,549 peo ...

. However, the power plants now receive their water supply from Ujman Lake, which was developed later. The lake now supplies water to the largest

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

company, the regional water supply company "Prishtina", and the cities and villages of the municipalities of

Podujevë Podujevë or Besianë ( sq-definite, Podujeva or ''Besiana'') or Podujevo is a List of cities in Kosovo, city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality in the District of Pristina, Pristina District in Kosovo. Podujevë is the largest municip ...

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

, and Obiliq.

Geography

Batllava Lake is located in the region of Llapi in northeastern Kosovo, within the municipality of

. The lake is approximately away from Podujevë and about from Pristina. The Batllava Lake is fed by the river with the same name, Batllava River. The lake extends west to east, with its dam located on the western end. The lake is about long and it has a width up to . The depth of the lake fluctuates by the seasons but it can have a depth up to . As an artificial lake, Batllava Lake has a dam with a height of .

Tourism

As one of the main tourist destinations in Kosovo, Batllava Lake is surrounded by mountains and high forests rich in various plants. The natural landscape is amazing all year round, especially in summer. Apart from its main function, the drinking water supply for some cities, the lake is also a suitable place for other sports activities; swimming, fishing and boating. Bathing takes place in the eastern end of the lake.

Fishing

Because the lake is rich in fish, especially

carp The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...

and

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

, fishing is quite developed and attractive to many regular visitors. Fishing competitions are also organized every year. On the shores of the lake there are several well-known restaurants with fish menu and traditional food. Around the lake, in certain picturesque places, many mountain houses and holiday lodges have been built for tourists. The beauties of the lake and the forests around it attract many visitors at any time of the year. Esox lucius ZOO 1

Water sports

Swimming is also an activity during the summer months. Swimming competitions are held in the lake from time to time. Organized by the Kosovo Swimming Federation, the International Swimming Marathon is held every year in Batllava Lake. The "Kosova 2021" marathon was held, when 27 swimmers from

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

competed on a path. On the surface of the lake, apart from swimming, other water sports and activities can be practiced, such as

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...

, etc.

Gallery

References

{{Lakes in Kosovo Lakes of Kosovo Podujevë