Šmitovo jezero

Šmitovo jezero is an unmissable stop in the Ogulin area. It lies south of Ogulin on the slopes of Velika Kapela. It was once called the Green Lake because of the intense green colour it keeps for most of the year. We found it in a rather different, autumn edition. The lake was dark and covered in fallen leaves, and since the sun is low at this time of year and the crowns of the surrounding forest ring the whole lake, it is hard to catch all of it out of the shade. We mention this for those after the perfect photograph. For them we would recommend late spring, around noon. We enjoyed the autumn magic laid on for us by the forest around the lake. Leaves rained down on every side, so at moments the walk around it was enchanting.

The lake is in fact made up of two – the Small and the Large one. The small one is fed by water from the nearby Rupečica spring, and beneath a wooden bridge it feeds the large lake, which swallows the water again in a sinkhole.

Where there are sinkholes, there are legends too. The cast of the legend tied to Šmitovo jezero is a well-known maiden, a wicked dragon, St. George and his horse. You can probably guess how the plot goes, so we will leave that part out.

Seen from the slope you come down to reach it, the lake has the shape of a heart lying on its side. Look at aerial photographs online and you will see that this is only an optical illusion.

Even if the shape is an illusion, its beauty and charm are not. Šmitovo jezero is certainly worth a visit. Lack of time cannot be an excuse, because half an hour will be more than enough to walk around it and rest before carrying on.