LAC DE PERUĆAC

Shared with Serbia, this artificial lake (Perućačko Jezero/Перућачко Језеро) marks the entrance to the Drina National Park. Created in 1966 with a 93 m high dam, the lake extends from 150 to 1,000 m in width and 52 km in length with an area of 12.4 km2, five-sixths of which is in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The contrast between the blue of the water and the wooded hills of the surroundings makes the landscapes superb, with, on the Serbian side, the Tara National Park and, on the Bosnian side, the Drina National Park. Unfortunately, this lake is considered to be the largest common lake in Europe. From 1992 to 2001, it was used by various Serbian units to hide the bodies of their victims of the Yugoslav wars. Nearly 400 bodies have already been discovered and investigators estimate that the lake still holds about 2,000 bodies. However, the place remains popular with fishermen and bathers. In July, the lake even hosts the Drina regatta, a major Serbian water sports festival created in 1994. To reach the dam, you have the choice between two routes. On the Bosnian side, follow the R454 to the Dobrak mosque, then continue straight on a bad road along the Drina. Passing the Serbian side at the Skelani-Bajina Bašta border crossing, road no. 172 is faster and you can stop at the medieval necropolis of Mramorje, a Unesco World Heritage Site. After the dam, the road climbs to 1,000 m above sea level at Banjska Stena, where a promontory offers a magnificent view of the lake.