Why come here
To see a 130-year-old idea
It is the oldest surviving work of Beskid walkers in the saddle - older than Libušín and Maměnka. Three species of newt live in it today.
Small lake • Prostřední Bečva • 980 m a.s.l.
Mořské oko
The Beskids had no lake. In 1894 walkers dug one themselves - today it belongs to the newts.
A dug tarn taken over by newts
Just under half a kilometre from Pustevny, a dark surface of water called a mořské oko hides in the forest. Mountain lakes like these were usually formed by a glacier or a volcano. This one was dug by people.
They were members of Pohorská jednota Radhošť. It bothered them that the Beskids were the only mountains without a tarn, so in 1894 they made one themselves. Their attraction is now a protected pool with three species of newt.
Not to be missed
The nature trail board and the quiet by the water
The lake is the second stop on the Čertův mlýn nature trail. From the railing you can see the whole surface - and if you wait quietly for a while, you will see what moves in it too.
When to go
For newts, in May and June
Adult newts are most often seen in the water in May and June. In summer a green film often covers the surface; in autumn there is quiet and colour above it. In winter people ski around it.
The lake up close
Look around the lake
The view from the wooden railing on the bank - for the newts' sake, nobody goes beyond it.
The story of the Mořské oko lake
The only lake in the area was dug by walkers themselves. It survived because nature took it over.
Mountains without a tarn
Walkers who were missing a lake
In 1884 the people of Frenštát founded Pohorská jednota Radhošť - the first Czech hiking association in what was then Austria-Hungary. Its members built shelters, waymarked paths and led visitors into the mountains. Pustevny as we know it is largely their work.
According to historical records, however, one thing bothered them: unlike other ranges, the Beskids had no tarn. So in 1894 they made one themselves. They chose an older wetland in a hollow below the ridge, cleaned it out and deepened it. The name they borrowed from the mountain lakes formed by glaciers and volcanoes: mořské oko.
That was five years before the famous Jurkovič lodges went up in the saddle. Mořské oko is therefore older than Libušín and Maměnka and is among the oldest of the association's work still left at Pustevny and on the surrounding ridge.
When things at Pustevny were built
- 1884Pohorská jednota Radhošť
the oldest Czech hiking association
- 1891The first Pústevňa shelter
a wooden building with a dormitory
- 1894Mořské oko
a lake dug out of a wetland
ŠumnáProbably the oldest tourist chalet still standing in the Beskids
The Cyrilka pavilionA lookout on the ridge above the saddle
- 1899Libušín and Maměnka
Jurkovič's Art Nouveau lodges
Today
A pool in the forest, a railing and one board
Mořské oko is a shallow forest pool hidden among the trees. In summer it is largely covered by a green film of tiny water plants. The water is dark - the forest is reflected in it.
A worn area with a wooden railing leads to the bank. It is not a viewing point but a boundary - nobody goes beyond it. Beside it stands a board of the Čertův mlýn nature trail. The lake is its second stop; the whole trail is seven kilometres long and continues along the flank of Čertův mlýn to Martiňák. Its first part runs along the red waymarks to Čertův stůl.
The lake is most interesting for anyone who waits by it for a while. In spring newts move in the water and dragonflies hunt above the surface. During the day hundreds of people pass by from the chairlift.
Roles reversed
An attraction for people became a refuge for newts
A hundred and thirty years is a long time for a mountain pool. The lake that was meant to be an ornament for visitors has meanwhile been taken over by amphibians. Standing water is a rarity in the mountains, so for miles around there is no more important place for amphibians than this pool, which does not dry out even in summer.
The roles have thus been reversed. The water belongs to the newts now: nobody goes into it and nothing is released into it. The lake lies in the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area and is cared for by conservationists together with foresters.
- the year it was made
- 1894
- newt species in the water
- 3
- altitude
- 980 m
Who lives in the pool
Alpine newt
Ichthyosaura alpestris
The most striking of the three. In the breeding season the male has blue-grey flanks and a bright orange belly. Out of the water it hides under stones and wood.
Foto: Anevrisme, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Smooth newt
Lissotriton vulgaris
The most widespread newt in Czechia, small and brownish. In the breeding season the male has a tall, toothed crest running the length of its back.
Foto: Jaromír Trautmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Carpathian newt
Lissotriton montandoni
A Carpathian endemic. It lives only in the Beskids and their surroundings - you will not meet it anywhere else in Czechia. It is what makes an ordinary pool a rare place.
Foto: Ihor Hvozdeckyj, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Above the water
Hunters in the air
Dragonflies grow up in the water as predatory larvae and then hunt above the surface - further proof that the pool works. From the bank you will spot them best on a sunny day.
Broad-bodied chaser
Libellula depressa
A stocky dragonfly with a broad, flattened abdomen, powder blue in the male. It likes to settle on protruding twigs and set off from them to hunt again and again.
Foto: slezo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Southern hawker
Aeshna cyanea
A large hawker with blue-green markings. It circles tirelessly back and forth above the water and flies even at dusk. It returns to small pools to lay its eggs.
Foto: Klaus Krahn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0The photographs show the species, not a particular individual from Mořské oko.
Timeline
From an idea to a protected pool
1884
Pohorská jednota Radhošť is founded
Local people in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm found the first Czech hiking association in Austria-Hungary. It waymarks paths, builds shelters - and turns Pustevny into a place for visitors.
1894
Walkers dig themselves a lake
According to historical records, the association's members were bothered that the Beskids had no tarn. So they took an older wetland in a hollow below the ridge, cleaned it out and deepened it into a lake.
the late 19th century
The saddle is still called Poustevny
The saddle is named after the hermits who had lived here for a few decades before. The famous Libušín and Maměnka lodges to Dušan Jurkovič's designs are several years younger than the lake.
today
A protected pool on a nature trail
The lake is the second stop on the Čertův mlýn nature trail and home to three species of newt. It is cared for by nature and forest conservationists; it lies in the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area.
Visit
Plan your way to Mořské oko
Where exactly
Half a kilometre east of Pustevny, in the forest
The lake lies at 980 m a.s.l. in a hollow below the ridge between Pustevny and Tanečnice - just under half a kilometre from Libušín and the upper chairlift station. You will not see it straight away from the waymarked path: it hides among the trees a few steps to the side.
Otevřít v mapách
Beskids passport
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Map of the area
Getting here
From Pustevny the red waymarks lead to the lake and on to Čertův stůl:
- 1
Mořské okodestination · ~0.5 km · you are here
Head east from the saddle, with Radhošť behind you. A short way from the junction by Libušín, the small lake Mořské oko lies hidden in the forest – a refuge for newts and other amphibians.
- ↓
Kam dál: Čertův stůlpokračování · ~2.5 km
Po téže červené se dá jít dál hřebenem přes sedlo pod Tanečnicí na Čertův mlýn, nejvyšší horu Zlínského kraje. Celou trasu popisuje stránka výletu.
The nature trail: the lake is the second of the nine stops on the Čertův mlýn nature trail. The official trail then carries on along the red waymarks to Martiňák (7 km, 9 stops); the later stretch runs on asphalt.
Before you set out
How long it takes
From Brána Pusteven you reach the lake in ten to fifteen minutes on foot. A quarter of an hour is enough to stop by the water and read the board.
Care for the amphibians
The lake is a refuge for newts and other amphibians. Stay behind the railing, do not enter the water, do not reach into it and do not release anything into it - fish and terrapins do not belong here. Keep your dog on the bank and on a lead.
What you will see, and when
Adult newts are seen in the water most often in May and June. In summer the surface is largely covered by a green film of tiny water plants - the normal state of a shallow pool.
The nearest facilities
There is neither a bench nor a bin by the lake - the facilities are back at Pustevny.
Na závěr
Doplňující info a test znalostí
Rychlá rekapitulace
How was Mořské oko at Pustevny created?
People dug it. In 1894 members of Pohorská jednota Radhošť cleaned out and deepened an older wetland below the ridge - it bothered them that the Beskids were the only mountains without a tarn.
How do I get to Mořské oko?
On foot from Pustevny along the red waymarks eastwards, just under half a kilometre - ten to fifteen minutes' walk.
How high does Mořské oko lie?
At 980 m a.s.l., in a hollow below the ridge between Pustevny and Tanečnice.
Who lives in Mořské oko?
Three species of newt - the alpine, the smooth and the Carpathian. Adults are seen in the water most often in May and June, their larvae from June to August.
Can I swim in Mořské oko?
No. The lake is a refuge for amphibians - visitors stay behind the railing and nobody enters the water.
Are there refreshments or toilets at Mořské oko?
There is nothing at the lake itself. The facilities (refreshments, toilets) are back at Pustevny.
Závěrečný kvíz
Otázka 1 z 4
How was the Beskid Mořské oko created?
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