Bottomless Lake Budapest – Oasis in Buda

Once I lived next to this picturesque lake just a stone throw's away from busy Móricz Zsigmond körtér. The only mystery was its name - 'bottomless'. The lake is surrounded by a myriad of urban legends claiming that it managed to swallow tanks during WW2 or that after the system change in 1989 dead bodies were washed ashore.

In fact, the lake came to life by an accident in 1877 when workers of nearby a clay factory cut through a deep-lying underground water stream. According to another legend, the water came up so rapidly that it swallowed tools and even some unfortunate workers, which is why fishing in it was unsuccessful, as the nets would be torn apart by the parts of the equipment.

The most likely origin of the name, though, comes from the time of construction of the Cistercian church, that yellow one you can see in front of the lake. They tried to dispose of the soil and debris left after the construction in the lake, but the soil kept on floating, therefore they concluded that the lake was 'bottomless'. In the 1960s the lake was cleaned, refurbished, and populated with fish, and a park was formed around it with the New Buda Park Stage, which is an open air bar now.

The park is a great place for an escape from the buzzing city life, watching birds, snacking, enjoying the sunshine, or, if you feel sporty, running on a track or exercising at the open air gym.