Perućačko Jezero

This artificial lake (Perućačko Jezero/Перућачко Језеро) lies 12 km east of Skelani. Shared with Serbia, it marks the entrance to the Drina National Park. Created on the Drina in 1966 with a 93 m-high dam, it extends over 58 km in length, from 45 to 1,000 m in width, with a surface area of 12.4 ^km2. The contrast between the blue waters and the surrounding wooded peaks makes for superb scenery, with the Tara National Park (183 ^km2) also on the Serbian side. Unfortunately, this lake is considered Europe's largest common lake. From 1992 to 2001, it was used by various Serbian units to hide the bodies of their victims of the Yugoslav wars. Nearly 400 corpses have already been discovered, and investigators estimate that the lake still holds some 2,000 bodies. Nevertheless, the area remains popular with fishermen and bathers alike. In July, the lake even hosts the Drinska Regata, a major Serbian nautical festival created in 1994. There are two routes to the dam. On the Bosnian side, follow the R454 as far as the Dobrak mosque, then continue straight ahead on a bad road along the Drina. Crossing to the Serbian side at the Skelani-Bajina Bašta border crossing, route no. 172 is faster and you can stop at the medieval necropolis of Mramorje (approx. 200 stećci), a Unesco World Heritage site. After the dam, the road climbs to 1,065 m above sea level at Banjska Stena/Бањска Стена, where a promontory offers a grandiose view of the lake.