Did the creators of the tale about Ivanushka and the humpbacked horse know about this lake? Most likely not. They simply imagined a magical water where the brave and kind could swim without fear, while the wicked and cowardly would surely boil.
But surprisingly, such water actually exists. In truth, anyone can swim in it—both the good and the bad. To get scalded or even boiled, you don’t need to turn into an evil king; just diving a little deeper will do the trick…
This lake is called Sovata and is located in Transylvania. It’s relatively small—about 100 meters wide and 200 meters long.
As you can see, it doesn’t seem particularly remarkable. However, you won’t find another lake quite like it. Sovata has two layers: the upper layer is cold, while the lower layer is hot, like boiling water. It turns out that the sun heats the water.
On the surface, there’s a layer of fresh water, and below it lies salty water. The salty water absorbs sunlight and heats up, while the fresh water, exerting pressure from above, prevents mixing. As a result, by the end of summer, the temperature of the salty water at a depth of 3 meters reaches 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).
You can swim in the lake, but woe to those who dare to dive! The hot salty water is pumped out of the lake and channeled into baths, where sick people come to soak.