Lake Bezid

The Bezid reservoir lies in the hills on the left bank of the Târnava Mică, about 2 km from the town of Sângeorgiu de Pădure and about 42 km from Târgu Mureș. It was created by an earth dam across the valley of the Cușmed stream, 1.5 km above its confluence with the Târnava Mică. The lake holds a total of 31 million cubic metres, is 4.5-6.5 km long and covers 184-285 ha depending on the water level, with a maximum depth near the dam of 20-27 m. The reservoir serves for flood control, protecting the town of Târnăveni, and for water supply. Work began in 1975, stopped in 1977, resumed in 1984 and was completed in 1988-1989. The evacuation of the village of Bezidu Nou (Bözödújfalu) began in 1985, filling started in 1992, and by 1994 the village had disappeared under the water, except for 12 houses. The village had about 180 houses and a community of Szekler Sabbatarians, 170 of whom converted to Judaism in 1869, alongside Roman Catholic, Reformed, Unitarian and Greek Catholic families. Most of the inhabitants moved to Sângeorgiu de Pădure. Of the village's five places of worship, only the Roman Catholic church remained above the water, its tower visible in the lake, until June 2014, when its walls and tower collapsed. With public donations, a memorial church with an open nave and a glass-topped tower recalling the old one was built on the same spot, on some 36 piles drilled 14-16 m deep, and named the „Church of Solidarity” or „Church of Unity”. It was consecrated in an ecumenical ceremony on 3 August 2024 and is dedicated to the religious communities that lived in the village. When the lake level rises, the structure can be partly submerged. On the lakeshore is the Bezidu Nou memorial park, with a „Wailing Wall” and a monument to the village's First World War dead. The victims of the village's destruction are commemorated on the first Saturday of August.