Lake Urgun (Bashkiria): description, features, photos

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Lake Urgun is one of the largest lakes in Bashkortostan. It is located in the foothills of the eastern part of the Ural Range. It is one of the 9 famous Uchalinsky lakes.

The entire group of reservoirs is of tectonic origin, formed in the trans-Ural trough. It is oblong in shape, elongated from south to north for 4 km. The maximum width is almost 3 km. The total area of Lake Urgun is 12 km², the catchment area is 27.6 km². The depth varies in the north and south. The average in the northern part of the reservoir is 5-7 m, in the south - 3-4 m. The maximum depth is 8 m. The lake is fed by the waters of the Urals, which enter it through the Miass swamp.

Name and bottom cover

The etymology of the word is of Mongolian origin, meaning "wide" in translation. The lake has a second local name Muldashevo.

Lake Urgun is quite interesting. Its bottom is composed of ancient bottom freshwater sediments - sapropels. They were formed from dead vegetation, the remains of microorganisms, plankton and humus. Together, the deposits form a therapeutic mud, which is recommended for the treatment of joint diseases. The layer of therapeutic mud at the bottom of the lake reaches 2.5 m.

Coast

Shorethe lakes are gentle, flat, overgrown with grassy vegetation. Infrequently there are areas of deciduous and coniferous forests, birch groves. The northern coast is swampy and overgrown with reeds. Also from this part the bottom of the lake is abundantly covered with algae. In the middle of Urgun, there is a small rocky island, the shores of which are overgrown with reeds.

Climatic conditions

The climate of the region is temperate continental. In the west, the region is covered by the Ural Mountains, which prevent the passage of cold air masses from the Atlantic. At the same time, in the north and east, the steppe terrain allows cold winds from the Arctic to pass through. The region belongs to the West Siberian climatic region.

Vegetation and wildlife

The flora and fauna of the region is very rich and varied. In order to preserve rare plant species, as well as to increase the population of some animal species, in 1965 it was decided to create the Urgun natural monument on the territory of the lake and the surrounding area. In addition to the reservoir, the reserve also includes the pine forest of the same name.

The main object of protection of the region is Lake Urgun itself, which is of great economic, scientific and ecological importance for the region. Also under protection is the typical and rare vegetation of the reserve, especially the gene pool of forests.

Rare species of animals are found on the territory of the reserve and unique plants listed in the Red Book grow (from animals - scoter, black-throated diver, from plants - Helm's minuartia, neottiant, spring adonis). The total area of the Urgun monumentnature is 3300 hectares.

Lake Urgun is freshwater, rich in commercial fish (bream, zander, perch, ruff, rudd, burbot and roach), and crayfish are also found. Ducks and seagulls live on the lake. Fishing here is popular all year round. Fish are caught both from the shore and sailing on a boat to the middle of the lake.

The water in Lake Urgun also has healing properties, it belongs to the hydrocarbonate-calcium type.

Rest

A large tourist complex "Urgun" is located on the eastern shores of the lake. It includes several recreation centers and a children's he alth camp. The recreation center operates throughout the year:

• biking and walking tours, holidays on the beaches of the lake, horseback riding, quad biking, hiking in the mountains are held in summer;
• in winter you can go snowmobiling, skating and sledding.

In addition, on the basis of the tourist complex they specialize in curative mud treatment and climatotherapy, which is why Lake Urgun is so popular. Reviews about him are only positive. In the stories, visitors note the wonderful climate, water temperature and amazing scenery.

How to get there?

In the western part of the lake is the village of Muldashevo, and in the south - the city of Uchaly - the district center of the region.

Lake Urgun (Bashkiria) is a place that is quite easy to get to: accessible routes pass from three sides. The most popular road goes through the territory of the Chelyabinsk region, through the city of Ufa. From the latter it is necessary to get to Beloretsk, andfrom there to Uchala. The distance from Ufa to the lake is 370 km, from Chelyabinsk to the reservoir - 200 km. Passing this section of the road, along the way you can visit several more interesting natural sites: the Basuzhskaya and Kulmasovskaya caves, the Arsky stone rock, the Beloretsk cedar forest and other lakes of the Uchala group.

Also, a railway passes through the territory of the Uchalinsky district in the direction of Miass-Uchaly-Mezhozerny.

In closing

Anyone will be attracted to its territory by Lake Urgun (Bashkiria). Photos of these wonderful places can be found in the article. Is there really such an amazing nature on Earth? Here you can have a nice rest: birds, the sound of water, a company of friends - all this will make your vacation unforgettable. Climatic conditions only delight guests.