Description of the attraction
Atanasovsko Lake is a nature reserve located northeast of Burgas towards Varna. In the 70s of the twentieth century, the northern part of the lake, with an area of 170 hectares, was declared a protected area, in the 80s it also became a nature reserve. Since 1980, the lake has been included in the Ramsar Convention, according to which the habitats of water-loving birds should be protected.
The Burgas-Varna road divides the lake in half, thus forming the northern and southern parts of it. Their depth is on average 30 centimeters.
In the past, the lake was a place where salt was evaporated. In 1906, Atanasovskoye Lake was given a concession, when the first salt mine was created here. Construction was frozen due to the First World War, and resumed with its end. The German firm, under whose concession the lake was given, expanded the area of the saltworks, and the first products appeared in 1934. Saltworks were used until 1973. By the way, evaporators that extract sea salt are still working on the territory of the lake. But thanks to the primitive methods of extraction, this in no way affects the inhabitants of the reserve.
In the area of the lake, 316 out of 400 bird species have been identified. 14 of them are under threat of complete extinction not only in Bulgaria, but all over the world. Among them: corncrake, red-breasted goose, white-eyed divers, Dalmatian pelican, white-fronted goose, thin-billed curlew, small cormorant. In addition, of these 316 species, 170 are protected in a special way, and 83 are included in the Red Book in Bulgaria.
In winter, the lake does not freeze, which makes it the center of wintering water-loving bird species. Among other lakes around Burgas, Atanasovskoe is one of the most favorable places for pelicans and storks to spend the night on the way between the Bosphorus and the Danube Delta. In summer, you can see stilts, shilokak and other bird species in the lake. The symbol of the reserve is the meadow tirkushka. The lake is the only place where black-headed gulls, gull-nosed and speckled terns breed.
As for the flora, many wild-growing orchids grow here, which are protected in a special way in Bulgaria.
There are 17 species of fish in the reserve, almost all of which are included in the Red Book. In addition, about a dozen species of rodents, bats and insectivores live here.
Access to the lake is possible only along pre-marked routes.
