NH₄-N
20140.427 mg/dm³
A sign of elevated nutrient loading.
51.4767, 23.9361karst lake
Lake Liutsymyr
Люцимер
- 11.2 m
- Maximum depth
- ≈4.1 m
- Average depth
- ≈4.3 km²
- Surface area
- ≈15.56 million m³
- Water volume
Verified dataset
Key facts
Liutsymyr is one of the largest and warmest lakes in the park, reaching almost to the edge of Shatsk and holding a sandy island at its centre. It is also among the most heavily loaded: together with Chorne Velyke it carries the highest nitrogen and phosphorus content in the district, and mineralisation reaches 275 mg/dm³.
Status: Shatsk National Nature Park; its western shore adjoins the town of Shatsk
- Area
- ≈4.3 km²
- Maximum depth
- 11.2 m
- Average depth
- ≈4.1 m
- Shoreline
- 8.7 km
Water chemistry
calcium bicarbonate
- pH
- ≈7.9
- Total dissolved solids
- ≈275 mg/L
- Transparency
- 1.6 m
- Dissolved oxygen O₂
- 8.8–14.3 mg/dm³
- Trophic state
- eutrophic (trending towards eutrophication)
Ionic composition, mg/dm³
HCO₃⁻171
Ca²⁺50
Na⁺+K⁺18
Cl⁻18
SO₄²⁻14
Mg²⁺4
The bicarbonate ion dominates — the soft carbonate water typical of Polesie.
Field and laboratory measurements
Year and method matter: these values are not constantNO₃-N
20140.025 mg/dm³
PO₄-P
20140.034 mg/dm³
PO₄-P
20150.049 mg/dm³
An autumn laboratory sample.
Ichthyofauna
Fish of the lake
Commercial catch structure, 2010–2018
Native species
Introduced / acclimatised
Invasive species
Ecosystem
Flora and birds
Red Book flora
white water lily
Birds
mute swancommon goldeneyemallarddiverEurasian cootgarganeygreat crested grebe
What to know
Lake in detail
- One of the largest and warmest lakes in the park — fourth by area, after Svitiaz, Pulemetske and Luky — with a sandy island in the middle.
- Artificial canals connect it to Lakes Chorne Velyke and Kruhle, a system built in the interwar Polish period.
- Twenty lake-specific fish profiles are backed for Liutsymyr: nineteen species and forms are listed directly by the Shatsk park profile, and white bream is additionally attested by the official 2010 quota.
- In the commercial catches of 2010–2018 roach dominated at 41.6%, followed by carp (17.3%), bream (14.0%) and pike-perch (13.0%).
- A survey in September 2015 recorded 8 species from 4 families in its sample — a single field snapshot rather than a full list of the lake's fish fauna.
- Crayfish survive only in the lakes with clean water — Svitiaz and Liutsymyr — which serves as an indicator of water quality.
- The name is explained by legend either from a cruel squire called Lytsemir or from the lovers Liudmyla and Liutsymer; the scholarly reading derives it from German “Luce” (light) and “Meer” (sea).
- Archaeologists found remains of a Pomeranian-culture settlement nearby, and it has been suggested that the chronicled town of Rai stood here.
History
Chronology
- Міжвоєнний період
Polish engineers brought Liutsymyr into the canal system Chorne Velyke — Liutsymyr — Kruhle — Dovhe — Plotychchia — Krymne.
- 1937
The American brown bullhead was introduced to Liutsymyr and Luky, and later spread to the other lakes of the group.
- 1983
Shatsk National Nature Park is created, with Liutsymyr among its protected complexes.
- 2000
A project to improve the hydrological state of Liutsymyr, Chorne Velyke and the adjoining marshes was carried out: water levels stabilised and spawning grounds began to recover.
- 2010
Official quotas for the use of aquatic living resources separately attested carp, bream, Prussian carp, pike, eel, pike-perch, roach, perch, bleak, brown bullhead and white bream for Liutsymyr.
- 2010–2018
By commercial catch, the core of the stock was roach (41.6%), carp (17.3%), bream (14.0%) and pike-perch (13.0%).
- Вересень 2015
A field sample recorded 8 fish species from 4 families and revealed an imbalance in the food base: exceptionally abundant phytoplankton against much weaker zoobenthos.
Folklore
Legends of the lake
01The castle of squire Lytsemir
Expand the legend
In the popular version the lake takes its name from a cruel squire, Lytsemir, whose estate the water is said to have swallowed.
02Liudmyla and Liutsymer
Expand the legend
Another legend traces the name to a pair of lovers, Liudmyla and Liutsymer, whom fate parted on these shores.
03Giant eels
Expand the legend
Local lore tells of eels two to three metres long living in the depths of Liutsymyr — an echo of the lake's reputation among anglers.
State and recreation
The lake today
Recreation
Beaches: sandy beaches, with holiday bases and guest houses among the woods
One of the few lakes in the park open to both commercial and recreational fishing; park rules and the spawning closure apply.
Ecological pressures
Wastewater from Shatsk
Domestic wastewater from the town accelerates eutrophication; together with Chorne Velyke, the lake carries the highest nitrogen and phosphorus content in the group.
a belt of overgrowth 70–150 m wide
Rank in the group
#4by area · of 30
#4by depth · of 27
#2by mineralisation · of 10
Area against Svitiaz, the largest lake≈4.3 of 26.2 km²
Each measure counts only the lakes that report it.
Hydrology
Hydrological connections
The Shatsk lakes are not isolated bodies of water but a connected network. Canals cut between the late nineteenth and the mid twentieth century, along with natural channels, redistribute water between the lakes and the rivers.
Canal
Lake Chorne Velyke
An artificial canal joins the lakes across the narrow isthmus on the western side of Liutsymyr.
Canal
Lake Kruhle
The next link in the flow-through cascade towards Kruhle, Dovhe, Plotychchia and Krymne.
Geography and access
Places nearby
All places →settlement
Shatsk
Shatsk is the administrative centre and main gateway to the Shatsk lake district. The settlement lies between Lakes Liutsymyr and Chorne Velyke and concentrates the community’s everyday services.
Open profile →village
Ostrivia
Ostrivia is a village beside Lake Ostrivianske and the Luky–Peremut lake network. It provides access to a quieter north-western part of the lake district away from the main resort flows.
Open profile →Language note
Editorial scope
This English profile carries the full narrative, chronology and local traditions. Source titles stay in their original language, and the Ukrainian page remains the reference version.
Read the Ukrainian profile →Sources
Source titles are retained in their original language.
- о. Люцимер [Lake Liutsymyr]
- Люцимир [Liutsymyr]
- Риболовля на озері Люцимер [Fishing on Lake Liutsymyr] (2024)
- Основні аспекти морфометрії та гідрохімії Шацьких озер [Key aspects of the morphometry and hydrochemistry of the Shatsk lakes] (2020)
- Сучасний стан іхтіофауни Шацького поозер’я [The current state of the fish fauna of the Shatsk lake district] (2021)
- Ліміти використання водних живих ресурсів у водоймах Шацького НПП у 2010 році [Limits on the use of aquatic living resources in the waters of Shatsk National Nature Park in 2010] (2009)
- Структура іхтіофауни та можливості використання кормових ресурсів озера Люцимер Шацького НПП у вересні 2015 року [Fish community structure and the use of food resources in Lake Liutsymyr, Shatsk National Nature Park, September 2015] (2016)
- Шацькі озера — ВУЕ [Shatsk lakes — Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia]
- Ретроспективний огляд формування складу іхтіофауни Шацьких озер [A retrospective review of how the fish fauna of the Shatsk lakes took shape] (2013)
- Водно-болотні угіддя — на користь людям і природі [Wetlands — for the benefit of people and nature]
Photo: Шацький національний природний паркUsed with permissioncropped