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🌲 Lake Shaitan: The Body of Water Where Islands Roam

Friends, today we are traveling to Kirov Oblast, right into the Bushkovsky Forest. There, among ancient spruce trees, lies a small lake that local residents once regarded with a certain unease. Its name—Shaitan—means something like “devil.” And indeed, this place possesses several unusual features.

Welcome to Lake Shaitan.

🕳️ Formed by Karst Processes

The lake is of karst origin. Its basin formed through the dissolution and collapse of underground rock.

At approximately 240 × 180 meters, with an area of around 2 hectares, it is relatively small. However, its depth reaches more than 10 meters in places; even greater depths have been reported for some individual karst sinkholes.

The lake is fed by underground water and precipitation. Its shores are heavily waterlogged, while dense forest surrounds it on three sides.

🏝️ Floating Islands

The most distinctive feature of Lake Shaitan is its floating islands.

These are detached sections of the floating vegetation mat—dense networks of plants, roots, and peat. Larger specimens even support shrubs and small trees.

When such sections break away from the marshy shore, they begin drifting across the lake. Wind and water currents can repeatedly change their position.

This creates an unusual sight: small green islands that lie in one place today and, some time later, appear in a completely different one.

⛲ When the Water Suddenly Begins to Boil

Even more unusual are the occasional discharges of water from the depths.

Observations describe sudden vigorous bubbling and fountains erupting at the surface. The phenomenon is connected with the lake’s complicated karst system and groundwater pressure.

Underground cavities and water-bearing layers can become temporarily blocked. When the pressure rises sufficiently, the water forces its way upward—and the lake suddenly begins to boil at the surface.

Such events are observed especially after heavy rainfall or during the spring snowmelt.

📜 The Legend of the Cursed Lake

Local tradition links the lake’s unusual behavior to a grim legend.

Long ago, two rival groups are said to have lived in this area. One worshiped a benevolent god, while the other worshiped the cruel Shaitan.

According to the legend, a decisive battle took place at the site of today’s lake. However, the warriors of the benevolent god were enchanted. When morning came, they realized that they had been fighting one another all night.

The tears of the women and the blood of the fallen are said to have filled the earth until it finally collapsed, forming the lake.

The color of the water also became part of the legend: in the lake, it appears dark, almost black—yet when scooped up in one’s hand, it is clear and transparent.

According to old stories, Shaitan himself lives in the lake. When he becomes angry, the water begins to boil; when he loses control, fountains shoot up from the lake.

In this way, people found their own explanation for a natural phenomenon whose true cause lies hidden deep beneath the water’s surface.

🌿 A Protected Piece of Nature

Today, Lake Shaitan is part of the state nature reserve “Bushkovsky Forest” and is protected as a notable karst body of water.

The surrounding area consists of a diverse forest and wetland landscape with spruce, fir, birch, oak, ash, and maple trees. Rare plants, lichens, and invertebrates also find suitable habitats here.

But the most unusual spectacle remains the lake itself: underground water makes its surface boil—while above it, small vegetation-covered islands slowly drift from one shore to the other.


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📍 The location’s coordinates are available here

💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN