Lojstasjöar
The Lojstasjöar or Lojstaseen are five lakes in the parishes ( Swedish socken ) Lojsta and Stånga in the central part of the Swedish island Gotland . They are called (from west to east) Bjärsträsk, Fridträsk, Rammträsk, Slottsträsk and Broträsk. They are drained through the Stork Canal, which flows into the sea at Kvarnåkershamn in southwest Gotland.
The Lojstasjöar form a special landscape on Gotland, which is more reminiscent of central Swedish valleys with steep cliffs and deep lakes. The other lakes on Gotland are usually very shallow and consist of bowl-shaped hollows in the bedrock that have filled with water. For example, the Bäste träsk is a maximum of 5.5 meters deep and the Tingstäde is no more than 3 meters. In contrast, the Lojstasjöar are relatively deep, mostly deeper than 10 m. The Rammträsk is the deepest at 17 m.
In the vicinity of Lojstasjöar, the subsoil contains an unusually large amount of reef limestone . The portion that was previously surrounded by deposited limestone remained in the form of higher mounds when the inland ice of the last Ice Age abraded the subsoil and carried away the deposited limestone. Along the south side of Lojstasjöar runs a chain of reef limestone hills that are unusually rich in fossils . The reef limestone has a steep north side throughout, which drops perpendicular to the lakes at certain points. There are smaller caves in these cliffs . The largest caves are on Rammträsk and Broträsk.
In several of the lakes there are rich populations of white water lilies , a plant that is otherwise very unusual in Gotland lakes.
Gotland lakes are usually called "träsk", not "sjö", which is the common Swedish word for "lake". The Slottsträsk, which is also called Lillträsk, takes its name from the medieval castle ruins of Lojsta Castle , which is located nearby.
Individual evidence
- Jens-Henrik Kloth, Ulf Lovén: Gotlands nature - en reseguide . Bonniers och Länsstyrelsen i Gotlands län, 1987, ISBN 91-34-50860-0 .
Coordinates: 57 ° 19 ′ 9 ″ N , 18 ° 24 ′ 37 ″ E