Devil’s lake (Velnezers)

Velnezers (also called Certoks, Cortoks, Certaks) is located 12 km away from Aglona, in Aglona municipality, Skeltova parish, in the Graveri pine forest. Velnezers, being located in the middle of a bilberry forest, is one of the most transparent lakes in Latvia, it attracts people with a peculiar blue-green color of its waters, its transparency and the strange legends that have surrounded it since ancient times.
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Velnezers Lake
Formed in a funnel-shaped suffusion depression, Velnezers Lake is 17 meters deep, and its water is so clear that in some places it is possible to see depths of up to 12 meters. There is no stream or spring flowing into or out of the lake. The flora and fauna of the lake is not very abundant either.

Great for picnics
There are specially-designated picnic sites with tables and benches as well as places for bonfires created by the lake.

Legends
Local residents know many legends associated with Čertoks or Velnezers Lake. People have never lived near this lake because they have not been able to stay there for a very long time. People often get lost in the area and cannot find the lake.

Conservation
A 53-hectare-large protected area, “Čertoka ezers (Valnezers)”, was created around the lake in 1977. Most of the protected area is covered by pine forests. In some places there are small transitional bogs and coastal vegetation. The terrain is very uneven. The most valuable object of the protected area is Lake Čertoks, as the protected area has been created specifically with the aim to protect the lake’s ecosystem and the surrounding landscape.
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