Ghioroc Lake () is a man-made lake located in

Ghioroc Ghioroc () is a commune in Arad County, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia t ...

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The lake has a surface area of approximately and is a popular recreational and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

destination. The lake has several land patches away from the coastline, which are used as vacationing spots or clubbing. The lake known as the Ghioroc Lake or ''Balta Ghioroc'' is the southern pit, immediately adjoining the connecting road from Sâmbăteni to Ghioroc and the Arad to Bucharest mainline. The northern side, formerly just Ghioroc 2 was separated in two smaller sections that are still being preserved as a mining pit for building materials (sand, gravel). The lake is away from Arad and from

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

History

In the 1960s it was decided to mine in this specific area for gravel and other aggregates, which were highly sought-after especially during the building boom of

Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...

. This has been the eminent use of the area until the 1980s, when the need for building materials decreased. As most gravel pits are built in river valleys, in this case the

Mureș River Mureș may refer to: * Mureș County, Romania * Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'') * Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania See also * Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County * Ocna Mureș, a town in Alba Cou ...

, they gradually fill with water as the high water level allows for the persistence of a lake. In the early 1990s, the lake has been opened for tourists, although it has not been officially recognized as a touristic destination. Due to high levels of pollutants from the usage and remaining exploitation, the lake was temporarily shut down and all the remaining waste has had to be cleared out. In the 2000s, the lake has been officially added as a tourist attraction of

. The lake has been cleaned and an artificial beach has been created with native sand to accommodate the renewed popularity of the lake. Ghioroc Lake has also been populated with fish of indigenous varieties in order to also become a popular fishing destination.

Tourism

Lake Ghioroc brings a considerable amount of income to the commune of

. It is mostly popular for local tourists, and the region as plenty visit during the summer season. It is estimated that hundreds of tourists visit it, on an average summer day. A small commercial area exists adjacent to the beach providing dining, shopping and camping and parking facilities. Due to the increased popularity of the lake as a tourist hotspot, free unrestricted access to the shores of the lake is gradually being reduced by sales of land with the corresponding lake access and continuing usage of the surrounding areas as farm land and manufacturing.

Fishing

The lake is allegedly populated with several species of fish:

Prussian carp The Prussian carp, silver Prussian carp or Gibel carp (''Carassius gibelio'') is a member of the family Cyprinidae, which includes many other fish, such as the common carp, goldfish, and the smaller minnows. It is a medium-sized cyprinid, and d ...

Eurasian carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

Wels catfish The wels catfish ( or ; ''Silurus glanis''), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been intro ...

rudd ''Scardinius'' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. The fishes in this genus are commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without ...

roach Roach or The Roach may refer to: Animals * Cockroach, various insect species of the order Blattodea * Common roach (''Rutilus rutilus''), a fresh and brackish water fish of the family Cyprinidae ** ''Rutilus'' or roaches, a genus of fishes * Cal ...

and

bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...

making the lake popular among fishermen, being especially accessible and fishing is allowed.

Water sports

Lake Ghioroc can also be used for practicing

water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...

Windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

and

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), ...

are popular, due to the strong winds and favorable dimensions of the lake.

Depth controversy

The maximum depth of Lake Ghioroc is controversial. It is a local legend that says that no one has ever reached the bottom of the lake.Ghioroc gathers, day and night, thousands of people willing to have fun
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghioroc Lakes of Romania Artificial lakes Geography of Arad County Tourist attractions in Arad County