Lake Bled
Encyclopedia
Lake Bled is a glacial lake
in the Julian Alps
in northwestern Slovenia
, where it adjoins the town of Bled
. The area is a popular tourist
destination.
stands above the lake on the north shore. The lake surrounds Bled Island (Sln. Blejski otok), the only natural island in Slovenia. The island has several buildings, the main one being the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary (Slovenian: Cerkev Marijinega vnebovzetja), built in the 15th century, where weddings
are held regularly. The church has a 52-metre tower
and there is a stairway
with 99 steps leading up to the building.
The lake is also well known among rowers
because it has very good conditions for the sport. It hosted the World Rowing Championships
in 1966, 1979, 1989 and 2011
.
The lake is 35 kilometers from the Ljubljana International Airport and 55 km from the capital city Ljubljana
.
Image:Blejsko jezero.jpg|Aerial view
Image:Bled island with church01.JPG|Island on the lake
Image:BlejskiOtok3.JPG|Island church
Image:Pletna-Bled.JPG|Pletna
Image:Bled-Lake and Island from Castle.JPG|Half frozen lake
File:Bled island July 2005.jpg|Castle, island church & town
Image:Bled_Overview.JPG|View from surrounding hills
File:Lake Bled Island Altar.jpg|Island church altar
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
in the Julian Alps
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...
in northwestern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, where it adjoins the town of Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
. The area is a popular tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination.
Geography and history
The lake is 2,120 m long and 1,380 m wide, with a maximum depth of 30.6 metres. The lake is situated in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests. A medieval castleBled Castle
Bled Castle is a medieval castle built on a precipice above the city of Bled in Slovenia, overlooking Lake Bled. According to written sources, it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia....
stands above the lake on the north shore. The lake surrounds Bled Island (Sln. Blejski otok), the only natural island in Slovenia. The island has several buildings, the main one being the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary (Slovenian: Cerkev Marijinega vnebovzetja), built in the 15th century, where weddings
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
are held regularly. The church has a 52-metre tower
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
and there is a stairway
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
with 99 steps leading up to the building.
The lake is also well known among rowers
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
because it has very good conditions for the sport. It hosted the World Rowing Championships
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
in 1966, 1979, 1989 and 2011
2011 World Rowing Championships
The 2011 World Rowing Championships, the 40th edition of the World Rowing Championships, were held at Lake Bled, Bled, Slovenia between August 28 and September 4, 2011....
.
The lake is 35 kilometers from the Ljubljana International Airport and 55 km from the capital city Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
.
Gallery
Image:Blejsko jezero.jpg|Aerial view
Image:Bled island with church01.JPG|Island on the lake
Image:BlejskiOtok3.JPG|Island church
Image:Pletna-Bled.JPG|Pletna
Image:Bled-Lake and Island from Castle.JPG|Half frozen lake
File:Bled island July 2005.jpg|Castle, island church & town
Image:Bled_Overview.JPG|View from surrounding hills
File:Lake Bled Island Altar.jpg|Island church altar