High-mountainous Lake Nesamovite (1750 m.a.s.l., Chornohora ridge)

Nesamovyte is one of the highest lakes in the Ukrainian Carpathians (1750 m above sea level). It is located within the Nadvirna district of Ivano-Frankivsk region. It lies within the Carpathian National Park, in a glacial kar (depression) on the eastern slopes of Mount Turkul (Chornohora massif).

The lake is 88 m long and 45 m wide. The depth over the entire area varies between 1-1.5 m. The lake is of glacial origin. It is fed mainly by atmospheric precipitation. It freezes in winter. The bottom near the southern shores is covered with boulders, in the northern part sandy-silt deposits are common.

The southern and western shores are rocky: the products of rock slope decay fall on it. The moraine (a layer of rock that the glacier has collected on its way) along the opposite bank is covered with subalpine meadows, where mountain pine (juniper) and juniper grow. In recent years, Nesamovyte has been intensively overgrown with sedge.

Tourists often leave garbage on the shore or throw it into the water, which contributes to the rapid pollution of the lake's ecosystem and the growth of aquatic plants. The lake has no surface runoff, but several streams flow below the moraine rampart - tributaries of the Prut.

Interesting facts:

• The shape of Nesamovyte is somewhat reminiscent of Antarctica.
• Some geography books claim that Nesamovyte is located within the Zakarpattia region. However, the fact that the lake lies northeast of the main ridge of the Chornohora range (along which the administrative border between Zakarpattia and Ivano-Frankivsk regions runs) indicates that it belongs to Ivano-Frankivsk region. This is also confirmed by modern maps.

Mystical legends that Nesamovyte hides

Residents of mountainous areas say that the Carpathians are enchanted mountains, and there is no place, be it a body of water or a mountain peak, that has not been the subject of at least one legend. And since Lake Nesamovyte is the most mysterious, there are several legends about it. The first one says that the souls of sinners who committed suicide or took someone's life live in this reservoir. And if you throw a stone into the water, a rider on a black horse rides out and gallops over the local rocks, knocking out stones that turn into ice. Then sinners float out of the lake, collect this ice in bags and fly in the form of black clouds all over the Chornohora ridge. When they open the bags, hail falls to the ground.

The following legend tells of a girl who, traveling from one village to another, decided to plunge into the Nesamovyte, but unfortunately drowned. And now her soul does not honor bathers: if someone bathes in the lake, the weather immediately deteriorates.

Another legend says that at night the souls of the dead wake up in the lake and, if someone tries to dive into the pond in the dark, they can be dragged to the bottom. The only thing that can save you from death is the sound of trembitas.

And finally, there is a nice legend that says that if an unmarried man washes his face with water from Nesamovyty, he will definitely get married by the end of the year.

However, we cannot say that these are just legends. My friends told me that once, after swimming in the lake, the weather deteriorated very quickly. In about half an hour, black clouds came in, it started raining heavily, and lightning began to sparkle from all sides. But the legend that if you wash your face in Nesamovyte, you will find a mate does not work. Although, who knows...

However, not particularly superstitious tourists leave piles of garbage on the shore or, even worse, throw it into the lake. By the way, despite the almost wilderness, there are a lot of people here - travelers are attracted by the picturesque surroundings.

There is no need to make your own way to Lake Nesamovyty. There is a permanent scientific and educational trail 6 km long from the Zaroslyak tourist center. The lake itself is located on the territory of the Hoverla Nature Reserve and belongs to the Montenegrin ridge, which separates Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions. But the location of the lake on the northeast side indicates that it belongs to the former.