Balžis is a lake in the north-eastern part of Vilnius City Municipality, Lithuania. It is surrounded by Nemenčinė-Lavoriškės pine forests. Its coasts are quite high, dry. Balžis is connected to Lake Juodis and Lake Skarbelis by small rivulets. The lake belongs to the Neris River basin.

Lake Balžis
Lake Balžis from the eastern shore
Lake Balžis is located in Vilnius
Lake Balžis
Lake Balžis
LocationVilnius city municipality
Coordinates54°47′20″N 25°26′02″E / 54.789°N 25.434°E / 54.789; 25.434
Primary inflows1 rivulet (from Juodis)
Primary outflows1 rivulet (to Skarbelis)
Catchment areaNeris
Basin countriesLithuania
Max. length0.8 km (0.50 mi)
Max. width0.4 km (0.25 mi)
Surface area0.2 km2 (0.077 sq mi)
Average depth11.5 m (38 ft)
Max. depth27.1 m (89 ft)
Shore length12.2 km (1.4 mi)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Balžis is a popular recreation place for Vilnius inhabitants. In Soviet times, pioneer camp was located at the coast of the lake. Now Šilas city district is located around the lake.

The name of the lake balžis comes from the word balžas which means "serene, clear, bright".

Sources

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  • Zinkus, Jonas; et al., eds. (1988). "Balžis". Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 1. Vilnius: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. p. 249.
  • Vanagas, Aleksandras (1981). Lietuvių hidronimų etimologinis žodynas (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslas.