Beautifully blue Zavoj Lake
In southeast Serbia, not far from the town of Pirot, on the Visocica River, a beautiful artificial lake Zavoj was formed. The lake is located close to the Serbian and Bulgarian border, situated right between the mountains of Stara Planina on the north side and Vidlic on the south side.
The lake was formed in 1963. when a big natural catastrophe created a natural dam, which was later surpassed by the construction of an artificial dam.
The today's lake Zavoj its name after a former village Zavoj that was floated and is located just about 17 km from Pirot. The tributaries of Lake Zavoj are the rivers: Visocica, Gostuska Reka, Belska Reka. A significant amount of lake water is drained through a tunnel to the "Pirot" hydroelectric power plant, which uses it to start the generator. Around and near the lake are villages: Paklestica, Bela, Gostusa.
Lake Zavoj is the only lake in the territory of Serbia created by the colluvial process. The natural dam was created after heavy rainfall in the spring of 1963. The slopes of the Stara Planina began to slide and during that, large amounts of land blocked the river. The natural dam was over 50 meters high, and its instability threatened to lead to the overflow of the river, which would flood all settlements located downstream, and there were claims that even the city of Nis would be endangered. With a relatively quick reaction of the army, the natural dam was breached, which enabled its overhang and the construction of an artificial dam, which still exists today.
Today, the waters of this lake are used to start the generator of the hydroelectric power plant "Pirot". Zavojsko Lake is a favorite picnic spot for the people of Pirot and Nis. The water of the lake is rich in white fish, and there are brown trout in Visocica and Belska Reka.
English 
Serbian 
Russian 
Chinese 
