Morskie Oko, Mountain lake in Tatra National Park, Poland.
Morskie Oko is a mountain lake in Tatra National Park, Poland, sitting at 1,395 meters elevation in the Rybi Potok Valley. The surrounding peaks rise about 1,000 meters above its surface, forming a steep rock wall around the shoreline.
The first written record dates to 1575, when the area was still barely mapped. King Władysław IV granted pasture rights around it to landowner Wladyslaw Nowobilski in 1637.
The name translates to Eye of the Sea and comes from old stories claiming an underground passage links it to the ocean. Hikers from Poland and abroad visit to watch the peaks reflected in the water and to rest along the shore.
The trail from the starting point at Palenica Białczańska covers about eight kilometers (5 miles) and climbs through forest to the shore. Visitors can walk or use horse-drawn carts operated by locals that run along the wide gravel road.
The waters hold natural populations of trout known as famine trout, which are rare in other Tatra lakes. These fish adapted to low-nutrient conditions and remain small in size.
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