Lake Voulismeni is a small – formerly sweet, later connected to the sea – lake, located in the center of the town of Agios Nikolaos, in the Lassithi prefecture. It has a diameter of 137 meters and a depth of 64 and according to the legend, the goddess Athena was taking her bath in it.
The locals refer to this lagoon, as the “lake”. The lake connects to the port of the town with a canal opened in 1870.
Reportedly, members of the German army threw part of their weapons and their vehicles into the lake, as they retreated from the area during World War II.
Α local urban legend mentions, that the lake has no bottom. This view is probably based on its disproportionate depth with respect to its surface, on the surface disturbances, or the water levels observed by residents during the 1956 Santorini earthquake. For this reason it is speculated that there is a geological relationship between the two sites, but scientific research on the subject is not yet known. Around the lake, there is dense vegetation, mainly with pine trees.
From the park above it, the visitor has the chance to admire a panoramic view of the lake and the whole area. Every year at Easter midnight, the majority of the city’s population gathers around “Voulismeni”, to celebrate with fireworks thrown by the local authority.
