Lake Bicaz
Encyclopedia
The Lake Izvorul Muntelui, also known as Lake Bicaz is the largest artificial lake
on the interior waters of Romania
; it was created after the completion of a dam built on the Bistriţa River
. The dam is located a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz
.
The dam was built between 1950 and 1960 and is used to generate hydroelectricity
at the Bicaz-Stejaru hydro-plant
. It has a height of 127 meters, a length of 435 meters, and a maximum width of 119 meters. The lake has a length of 40 kilometers, an area of 33 km² and a maximum volume of 1,250 million m³.
The lake is a popular tourist destination
in the region, especially in summertime, when visitors can take the ferryboat from the Bicaz port for a short trip on the lake, enjoying the magnificent view of Mount Ceahlău
on the west shore.
In the 1960s and 1970s there was regular ferry service between the Bicaz port and the villages on the lake shore.
At Potoci, a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz, there is a biological research facility, equipped with a small submersible used for underwater explorations. The facility was visited by the marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau
in 1984.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
on the interior waters of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
; it was created after the completion of a dam built on the Bistriţa River
Bistriţa River (Siret)
Bistrița is a river in the Romanian region of Moldavia. Near Bacău it flows into the Siret River. It flows through the counties Suceava, Neamț and Bacău...
. The dam is located a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz
Bicaz
Bicaz is a town in Neamţ County, Romania situated in the eastern Carpathian Mountains near the confluence of the Bicaz and Bistriţa Rivers and near Lake Bicaz, an artificial lake formed by the Bicaz Dam on the Bistriţa. Bicaz used to be a border town until 1918...
.
The dam was built between 1950 and 1960 and is used to generate hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
at the Bicaz-Stejaru hydro-plant
Bicaz-Stejaru Hydro Power Plant
Bicaz-Stejaru Hydro Power Plant is a large power plant on the Bistriţa River river situated in Romania.The project was started and finished in the 1950s and it was made up by the construction of a reinforced concrete dam 127 m high, which formes the Izvorul Muntelui Lake...
. It has a height of 127 meters, a length of 435 meters, and a maximum width of 119 meters. The lake has a length of 40 kilometers, an area of 33 km² and a maximum volume of 1,250 million m³.
The lake is a popular tourist destination
Tourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...
in the region, especially in summertime, when visitors can take the ferryboat from the Bicaz port for a short trip on the lake, enjoying the magnificent view of Mount Ceahlău
Ceahlau Massif
The Ceahlău Massif is one of the most notorious mountains of Romania. It is part of the Bistriţa Mountains range of the Eastern Carpathians division, in Neamţ County, in the Moldavia region. The two most important peaks are Toaca and Ocolaşul Mare...
on the west shore.
In the 1960s and 1970s there was regular ferry service between the Bicaz port and the villages on the lake shore.
At Potoci, a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz, there is a biological research facility, equipped with a small submersible used for underwater explorations. The facility was visited by the marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
in 1984.