Incredible Underwater Park in Styria, Austria
Parks and gardens are favorite places for kids as well as elders. We love to play, walk and spend time in natural surroundings and parks offer us the place and peace that people look out for.
Some parks have fountains, some have lakes where most of the times boating activity is also allowed. But this particular lake in Styria, Austria needs one to dive underneath in order to get to the underwater park!
Located at the foot of the Hochshawab Mountains in Tragoess, Styria, this green lake is one of the worlds most strange natural phenomena. The place is famous among people who love to go on a hiking trip.
The lake is totally dry for half of the year, during the winter months when mountain peaks are full of heavy, white snow. But as the season changes, the temperatures begin to rise, causing the snow to melt and the melted snow from the Hochshwab Mountains starts flowing down the valley.
The water fills up the Green Lake and during peak summer months the lake can have water as deep at 30 feet! So what is so bizarre about this lake?
Water from all mountains come down into lakes and ponds eventually, right? Yes, but here the lake is formed with an underwater park which is filled with roads, bridges, meadows and trails- all submerged beneath this beautiful lake!
During the winter season the lake is almost not visible or has only 1-2 meter deep water.
The surrounding area of the lake during winters is used as a district park. But as the summer approaches, the shallow land is submerged and the lake is formed.
The Green Lake gets its name from its distinctive green color from the green grass and foliage beneath. The ice water is crystal clear, making the green foliage and the park visible from the surface of the lake. Even though the temperature of the lake remains 4 to 8 degree centigrade, it is very famous among divers who come especially to dive and visit the underwater park.
June is the best month when the alpine grass and flowers are in full bloom underwater. There are also benches to sit and bridges to walk on under the water!
One can see the small fishes swimming over the benches, snails, water fleas, small crabs, different species of trout fish, trees which have submerged, roads connecting one part of the park to another and the entire bottom of the lake is covered with green grass, which in summers is the green ground of the park.
From July the water starts to recede and by the end of the year the park is again visible on the ground and available for hikers.
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