Kavicsos Lake, or “pebble lake” in Hungarian, is a scenic lake about 2 km across located south of Budapest, just a 30-minute ride away from the city center. The lake sits at the site of a former pebble quarry, and hence its name.

About twenty years ago, the quarry closed and the excavated pits filled with rainwater creating the lake. Since then nature has reclaimed the area and rich wildlife has taken root in and around the lake. In 1996, the lake was sold to a private organization but there are still some unspecified legal battles among the parties involved.

The lake has over five hundred houses built on numerous tiny islands in the lake. Most of these are summer homes and sheds for fishermen and anglers, but about seventy families live here year round.

Kavicsos Lake is located within Csepel Island which is the largest island on the Danube River. The lake, including most of the island, is easily accessible from Budapest by road and the suburban railway.

Sources: Geocache / Origo.hu / Index.hu