Lake Brosno

Lake Brosno lies in the northwest of Tver Oblast, in the Andreapolsky municipal district, away from major roads. It is the deepest lake in the region, reaching 41.5 metres at its deepest point, with an average depth of about 17 metres and a surface area of 7.21 square kilometres. The lake stretches almost 11 kilometres from north to south, and the villages of Brosno, Dyadkino and Gushchino stand on its shores. The lake is best known for the legend of the "Brosno dragon", which has made it one of Russia's so-called anomalous zones.

History

On the shore of the lake, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a churchyard settlement called Brosno, which belonged to the Kholmsky Uyezd of Pskov Governorate. A stone Trinity church stood there, built in 1761, with a bell tower added in 1868; by 1879 the church had more than a thousand parishioners. The church was largely destroyed in Soviet times, and researchers say its remains, a sunken church, now lie on the bottom of the western part of the lake.

Legends and testimonies

Local residents say a huge lizard-like creature lives in the lake; it has been nicknamed "Brosnya", by analogy with the Loch Ness monster. People claim to have seen a large creature in the water or heard it breathing beneath the surface. According to legend, the monster already lived in the lake in the 13th century: one version says it devoured part of Khan Batu's army, horses included, when his troops camped on the shore before marching on Novgorod. Another story tells how Varangians hid their treasure on an island in the middle of the lake, and the creature eventually "swallowed" the island. Eyewitness accounts claim that during the Great Patriotic War the "dragon" dragged a German aircraft, pilot and all, under the water. In the early 2000s, fishermen reported seeing a strange creature in the lake, or parts of it surfacing.

Theories and expeditions

In the summer of 2002 an expedition by the Kosmopoisk research association, led by Vadim Chernobrov, surveyed the lake: they probed the bottom with an echo sounder and recorded anomalies there. Scientists explain the rumours of a monster by hydrogen sulphide accumulating on the lake bed: decomposition processes at great depth release gas bubbles that rise to the surface, creating the effect of a "surfacing monster". Some researchers believe the legends arose mainly from the lake's unusually great depth for this area and its remoteness from large settlements.

Getting there

The nearest district centre is Andreapol, from where a bus runs to the lake. It can also be reached by suburban train or regular train to Andreapol with a bus transfer, or by car via the village of Zhukovo, followed by about a 5-kilometre walk to the shore, or via Vypolzovo and Benka, or from Andreapol through Goritsy and Gushchino. The lake is popular with anglers: it ranks among the region's best fishing spots, and fishing there has required a paid permit since 2007.