Romania Photo of the Day by Dreamstime: Bicaz Lake
Romania Photo of the Day created in partnership with stock photo provider Dreamstime aims to highlight the best of Romania. From stunning landscapes and popular tourist destinations and landmarks to people, traditions, and food, this series helps you discover Romania one photo at a time. This week, we put the focus on Romanian mountain lakes.
A lake different from the others in our series of mountain lakes, the Bicaz reservoir, also known as the Mountain Stream, is the largest artificial lake in Romania built on an inland river. (Photo source - click on the number to get to the photo 7741374 © Gabriela Insuratelu | Dreamstime.com)
Located on the upper course of the Bistrita River, the lake was formed as a result of the construction of the hydroelectric dam and feeds the Bicaz-Stejaru hydroelectric power plant, equipped with six generators.
According to bicazkayakfest.ro, work on the hydro-energy plant began in November 1950, the year in which the Romanian Electrification Plan was approved. The cost of the project was about RON 1.7 billion (money calculated at that time) and meant the loss of hundreds of lives during the works, as thousands of prisoners, soldiers and brigadiers worked here for 10 years.
Nearly 20 villages with over 18,000 inhabitants had to be relocated for the construction. Two of them, Răpciunița and Cârnu, disappeared completely.
Today, the hydroelectric power station still operates here on the lake, but the lake is also a popular recreational area. Near the dam, casa-marica.ro tells us, there is a special harbor where you can enjoy the leisure activities on Bicaz Lake: boat trips, boat rides, canoes or hydro-bikes. If you like fishing, you will find a special place for this hobby, with species such as lost trout, flounder, porcupine, baboon, clean, moray eel, rainbow trout or lake trout.
Here you can also visit the only place in the Moldavian area where you can dive, namely the Potoci-Bicaz Biological Research Station of the A.I. Cuza University in Iasi.
Blog.videouhd.ro gives advice on the routes that can be taken by those who want to visit the lake:
If you want to get there via the northern access point Viaduct in Poiana Largului, we recommend the car route Toplița - Borsec - Poiana Largului, on DN 15. If you come from Târgu Neamț, follow the road route Târgu Neamț - Pipirig - Poiana Largului, on DN 15B or from Vatra Dornei, follow the road route Vatra Dornei - Broșteni - Borca - Poiana Largului, on DN 17B.
If you want to reach Bicaz via the southern access point, we recommend the Bacău - Piatra Neamț - Bicaz road, on DN 15 or the Gheorgheni - Lacul Roșu - Bicaz road, on DN 12C. From the centre of Bicaz, the road becomes winding and the serpentines will lead you directly to the dam's crown, which will connect you to the right edge of the lake.
