Burlinskoye Lake, Salt lake in Slavgorod region, Russia
Burlinskoye Lake is a salt lake in the northwestern part of Altai Krai covering roughly 31 square kilometers. The water is quite shallow, with its deepest point reaching about 2.5 meters in the north.
Salt extraction at this lake started in 1762 and made it an important source for supplying Central Russia and Saint Petersburg. Cart transport carried these supplies across long distances, establishing key trade routes for the region.
The lake's name comes from Burlin, an 18th-century salt worker whose family managed the extraction sites. The water still appears milky-white today, a visual reminder of the salt harvesting tradition that shaped life in this region.
The lake is accessible year-round but displays its most striking colors in August when microscopic algae turn the water shades of pink. Visit on dry days when the paths around the shoreline are easiest to walk.
A specialized railway system runs directly above the water surface, operating over the lake to enable efficient salt collection from extraction sites. This infrastructure is a relic from the Soviet era and shows the engineering solutions developed to support salt harvesting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
