Istras Lake is located on the Latgale upland, in Istra parish of Ludza municipality. It is 145 m above sea level. It is the largest amongst Vecslabada lakes. The shores are sloping, in the west and in the north the shores are low and flooded. In the north there is a river flowing into the lake from Audzeļu Lake, in the south-west, there is the Zeiļovas stream. In the east there is a flow through Dziļezers Lake to the Istra River.

In the part of the lake, where there are many coves, there are 2 places where the depth reaches more than 5 metres. In the northern part there is a botanical protected area Islands of Istras Lakes. It is a eutrophic lake: the level of eutrophication is about 20%. The lake with its islands and the surrounding landscape is a complex nature reserve. North-eastwards there is Vecslabada village, in the west, there is Istra village.

Area: 1.55 km2, area with the islands 1.64 km2

Length: 2.4 km, max. width: 1.3 km

Average depth: 3.1 m, max. depth: 5.5 m

Basin: 108.6 km2 (it belongs to the basin of the Velikaya River)

Islands of Istras Lake is a botanical reserve. On the lake, there are 4 islands: Panu Island (area: 8.2 ha, 2 m), Pabērzu Island (0.54 ha, 2 m), Liepu Island (0.11 ha, 1 m) and Mazā Island (0.001 ha, 0.3 m). It is a state protected area. Panu Island has been a nature monument since 1925; the islands have been a reserve since 1977. On the Panu Island, there are pine and spruce trees as well as minor aspen forests. Before 1950-60s spruce forest had been cut down, the cleared space are overgrown with wood, only in some places glades are still remaining with dense thicket of bracken, willow-herb and raspberry that is hampering the recovery of the forest.  In other islands plant communities have not developed and are very dynamic. Plants and ferns are registered. On Panu island, there are 154 types of plants, on Paberzu island – 97 types, on Liepu island – 57, on Mazā island – 17 types of plants. On Panu island herons have been living for more than ten years. 

 

Latvijas daba. 2.sēj. – Rīga: Latvijas enciklopēdija, 1994. – P. 179.

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Photo: Archives of “Ludzas tūrisma aģentūra, Ltd”