Lake Gölcük, Bolu

Lake Gölcük (Gölcük Gölü) in Bolu lies among the villages that belong to the central district of Bolu, about 13 kilometres from the city. South of the village, among the forests, is a small and charming artificial lake held back by a dam. Lake Gölcük covers four and a half hectares and is 1,300 metres around, and the surrounding mountains rise to 1,210 metres. Ringed by fir and Scots pine, the lake makes a magnificent sight. Right by its shore, amid extraordinary natural beauty, are guesthouses and cottages, and around the lake there are country restaurants. Nearby there are protected areas and national parks for relaxing. Lake Gölcük is a charming little lake, and cars cannot drive into the area. Today recreational angling is allowed at certain times of the year. People can visit in every season for a day out, to have fun, rest and picnic. There is no accommodation around Lake Gölcük itself, but its closeness to the hotels in central Bolu and Karacasu makes it easy to come and go. At the foot of the Aladağ mountains, which take on a different beauty in every season, Lake Gölcük glitters in the middle of the pine forests with endless beauty. It is one of the places you can easily reach for a weekend escape and should not miss. It is a place to walk in clean air and feast your eyes. You can go for the day to walk in summer or to enjoy the magnificent snowy scenery in winter. The thermal springs with their healing waters and the rest facilities nearby await visitors.

Getting to Lake Gölcük

To drive to Lake Gölcük from the Istanbul direction, take the motorway as far as the foot of Mount Bolu. Once over Mount Bolu, which is open to traffic in both directions, turn off onto the Gölcük–Kıbrıscık–Seben road about 13 kilometres from the centre of Bolu and continue. Drivers approaching the national park on the forest road are advised to fit snow chains in winter because of the weather. From central Bolu you can take a minibus to Lake Gölcük, but you will have to walk the last two kilometres or so near the village road.

Facilities around Lake Gölcük

On this road, in the Karacasu area, are Bolu’s thermal hotels. These spas, 5 kilometres from Bolu, are close to Gölcük.

People come to the area for treatment and have a lovely time. They can eat regional dishes to music and take part in many sports activities. There are very good places to stay, making it an excellent chance for a weekend at affordable prices. You can picnic on the lakeshore and spend wonderful hours on weekend walks in the oxygen-rich air. You can also picnic and eat at the Gölcük country restaurant. Dishes such as trout cooked over a wood fire and Gölcük kebab baked on a clay tile let you get to know the character and flavours of the area. It is worth trying one of the finest local dishes around Lake Gölcük, called mantar mantısı (“mushroom mantı”): a kebab of meat cooked with mushrooms and seasoned with butter and spices. Göl böreği, a pastry made with mushrooms, pastırma (cured beef) and kaşar cheese, is also delicious. And do not leave without tasting another local speciality, erişte noodles with keş and walnuts: the noodles are served with dried yoghurt (keş) grated over them, walnuts and butter. Local products are also sold around Lake Gölcük. On the way to Bolu, where the village road leaves the motorway, you will also see wooden goods for sale along the road.

The History of the Gölcük Thermal Springs

The spa five kilometres from Gölcük was built by the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD and became a source of healing. After great earthquakes in Anatolia it was destroyed and fell out of use until the Byzantine period. It was rebuilt in the Seljuk period, and a pool was added under a ruler of the Anatolian Seljuks. In Ottoman times it was given its final form by the district governor Ahmed Pasha, and recent restoration has given it a new lease of life. The spa is said to help with diseases of the liver and bile ducts, metabolic disorders, stomach and bowel disorders and urinary system disorders. It is also said to help visitors with shortness of breath and to regulate blood pressure.