15 Facts About The Shatsk Lakes

Even nowadays, many people do not have a clear idea of what The Shatsk Lakes are. Some pictures in their minds abandoned provincial area with impenetrable forests, swamps, mosquitoes, and without any amenities. Others expect to get in an ultramodern resort and recreation area with many hotels, clubs, and entertainment venues. The Shatsk Lakes are just the happy medium.
For those who still do not know anything about The Shatsk Lakes, we have prepared a few interesting facts.

The Shatsk Lakes is one of the largest groups of lakes in Europe. Besides Svitiaz, to Shatsk Natural Park includes 22 other lakes. The biggest of them are Luky, Pulemetske, Pisochne, and Krymne.
According to the biologists, the water in the lakes Shatsk National Park is cleaner than in some city water supply systems of our country. It means that you can even drink it and cook on it! Therefore, The Shatsk Lakes are poetically called the Blue Lakes or blue eyes of Volyn.
Svitiaz is the largest lake in the reserve (and one of the largest in the country). Moreover, it’s deepest natural lake in Ukraine. It is deeper than Synevyr and the Sea of Azov. In windy weather, the waves here can reach almost two meters in height. Svitiaz is only fed by groundwater – no single river flows in it!
Svitiaz is a great place for rest; the bulk of people resting there are residents of the western part of Ukraine and Belarus.
The climate is mild here: the summer is warm, but it rarely gets very hot.
The water in the lakes is slightly mineralized. It contains glycerin and silver, which have a great impact on the skin and cause fast healing.
There are therapeutic muds in Svitiaz, and you can easily try their medical effect on yourself.
Nature in Volyn is really impressive. Some lakes have unusual shores – flat sandy coast are interspersed with tall cretaceous ones. Some rare plants can be found there. For instance, on the shore of Krymne Lake, you can see growing orchids.
All visitors can try their hand at fishing or just to buy fish at the market. The choice is wide – about 25 species, among which are the perch, carp, bream, carp, perch, pike, catfish, eel, and crayfish.
Аnd now some information for gourmets. In Volyn, you can try the local delicacy – acne. The fish is found only in these latitudes is not a scarce product in the region. But it is not easy to buy it anywhere else…
In any period of your rest, you can find a lot off berries growing in the nearby forests. There are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, and a lot more… And yet the assortment of mushrooms is impressive as well.
Here the unique species of birds can be found. The lakes are inhabited with pochards, wild swans, mallard, and even a white-tailed eagle.
The oldest reservoir in the cascade of The Shatsk Lakes is almost 10K years old!
A few years ago near Liutsymer Lake archaeologists found the remains of housing of Pomeranian culture.
There is a small picturesque island on Svitiaz. Sometimes it is called the Island of Lovers or the Island of Astronauts: in Soviet times the recreational base for Soviet cosmonauts was located there.