Bâlea Lake
Lacul Bâlea | |
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Location | Făgăraș Mountains |
Coordinates | 45°36′07″N 24°37′01″E / 45.602°N 24.617°E |
Type | periglacial |
Basin countries | Romania |
Max. length | 360 m (1,180 ft) |
Max. width | 190 m (620 ft) |
Surface area | 4.7 ha (12 acres) |
Average depth | 11.35 m (37.2 ft) |
Surface elevation | 2,034 m (6,673 ft) |
Bâlea Lake (Template:Lang-ro or Bâlea Lac, pronounced [ˈbɨle̯a]) is a glacier lake situated at 2,034 m of altitude in the Făgăraș Mountains, in central Romania, in Cârțișoara, Sibiu County. There are two chalets opened all the year round, a meteorological station and a mountain rescue (Salvamont) station. It is accessible by car on the Transfăgărășan road during the summer, and the rest of the year by a cable car from the "Bâlea Cascadă" chalet.
On 17 April 1977. an avalanche killed 23 skiers gathered near the lake; 19 of those were high school students from the Samuel von Brukenthal National College in Sibiu. This was the deadliest avalanche ever in Romania,[1][2] with the 41st highest death toll in the world.
In 2006, the first ice hotel in Eastern Europe was built in the vicinity of the lake.[3]
Photo gallery
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Aerial view
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Bâlea lake and chalet
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Bâlea chalet
References
- ^ "40 de ani de la cea mai gravă avalanșă din România" [40 years since the deadliest avalanche in Romania]. Digi 24 (in Romanian). 24 April 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Povestea avalanșei din 1977, cea mai mare tragedie montană din România" [The story of the 1977 avalanche, the greatest mountain tragedy in Romania]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 17 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ AllTipsAndTricks.com, Chill Out in The Ice Hotel at Balea Lac Archived 2006-12-18 at the Wayback Machine, December 9, 2006