Väike-Palkna Landscape Reserve

Väike-Palkna Landscape Reserve / Описание

Väike-Palkna Landscape Reserve (23 ha) is located in the Haanja parish, 3 km southwest of the Luutsniku village at the Latvian border. It is joined with a protected area in Latvia. Väike-Palkna Lake and its surroundings was taken under protection as a part of the Paganamaa Landscape Reserve in 1979, and as a separate reserve in 1996.
Väike-Palkna Lake is the only very deep oligotrophic lake in Estonia. It is the second deepest lake in Estonia (32 m), but has the largest average depth (14 m). The lake has an interesting aquatic life and extraordinary pellucid water (5-8 m in summer). On the high and steep banks of the lake and in its surroundings grow 100 year-old spruce and birch woods, interspersed with aspens and pines, which makes a primeval-looking natural forest.