Lake Dajic has no shore, and legends about its origin freeze the blood in your veins

Photo: RINA

Mt. Golija is not only rich in forests, but also in true nature pearls, because several glacial lakes are hidden in its meadows, which are natural oases at more than 1,000 meters above sea level.

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One of them is Lake Dajic in the village of the same name. It has no shore but is surrounded by specific soft peat soil.

"The lake is filled thanks to atmospheric precipitation, rain and melting snow, so its size often varies," Miloje Ostojic from the Tourist Organization Ivanjica told RINA.

"It also has its own spring located on the opposite side. The change of the water regime, ecological conditions and microclimatic parameters intensified the eutrophication of the lake, which conditioned the formation of particular peat vegetation. The lake itself is extremely rich in vegetation, but there are also rare species of insects. Swimming in it is not allowed."

The lake was mentioned for the first time in the writings of Josif Pancic, Nedeljko Kasanin and Jovan Cvijic. This site, hidden in a coniferous forest, is visited by numerous people from the country and abroad during the year, and apart from the fact that Lake Dajic is special in its beauty, it also stands out from the others thanks to the legends related to how it came to be.

"Legend has it that a wedding party was passing by the lake, and the flag bearer turned off the road and everyone fell into the water and drowned, which is why some people call it the wedding lake. Another legend says that a monster lived in it, which was killed by the locals, and the blood turned the water red. They called a priest who said a prayer and the water cleared, so the nearby village got the name White Waters (Bele Vode)," recounts Miloje.

Myths and legends are an inseparable part of Golija's folklore, and one of the folk tales tells of two brothers, Rajko and Janko, who bet who would carry a large stone to the top of Golija first.

"Rajko was carrying his stone quickly and near the top stumbled and dropped it, and the stone fell into a stream. Janko was carrying his slowly, but he reached the top. That is why the top of Golija is called Jankov Kamen (Janko's Stone), and the stream into which Rajko's stone rolled is called Rajkov Potok (Rajko's Stream) by the locals," says Miloje.

At the suggestion of the Republic Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia, in 1966, a decision was made to protect Lake Dajic as a natural rarity and a natural geobotanical monument on an area of two hectares, located in the northwest of Golija.

(Telegraf.rs)