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| 2397 Lake and Resort Amara (1) |
Located in the middle of Bărăgan field, at only 7km from Slobozia, Lake Amara is a natural saltwater lake, former fluvial liman barred with silt, nestled in a depression (Crivaia), which actually is the old bed of Ialomiţa River. The lake has S-shape, its surface reaches 132 ha, and the maximum depth is in present 3m. The Amara Resort located at the shores of the lake has around 2,000 accommodation places in three hotels. At 507 rooms, the Lebăda Hotel is one of the largest in the country.
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| 2398 Lake and Resort Amara (2) |
The lake is supplied by the runoff waters (precipitations) which washes the efflorescences produced at the surface of the rocks on the Romanian Plain, and by the groundwater (phreatic) laden with salts (predominantly sulphates and chlorides). Magnesium sulfate and sodium sulfate, dissolved in large quantities in the lake water, give it a very bitter taste, which masks its salty taste. From this taste comes the name of the lake ("amară" means bitter in romanian).
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| 2399 Lake and Resort Amara (2) |
Because of the lack of a year-round constant fresh water supply and because of the evaporation process triggered by the dry climate, the concentration of salts in the lake is quite high. The hypertonic water is rich in sulphate salts, bicarbonate, chlorides, iodides, bromides and magnesium salts which led to the formation of a therapeutic mud used to treat different illnesses. The sapropelic mud contains around 40% organic and 41% mineral substances.
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| 2400 Amara Resort - The park |
In 1864 the settlement was taken over by the state and it was then that humans started dwelling there. Petru Poni was the first one to pick up on this city and he initiated the first chemical examination of the lake water in 1887. In the year of 1896 the county authorities have decided to establish a bathing resort here and exploit the hot spring of Amara. The shores of the lake are home to 10 species of birds which require protection.
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