The missing city, living fiery substances and other mysteries of Lake Pleshcheyevo (6 photos)
This body of water, located in the southern part of the Yaroslavl region, near the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, has long excited the minds of lovers of mysticism. Locals add fuel to the fire by talking about missing cities, fireballs and living rocks. Do these stories have any basis in reality?
Where are the cities going? 
Ancient Kleshchin was a thriving settlement until the 12th century, until its entire population suddenly disappeared overnight. According to legend, people angered the gods, which is why the deities cursed the city. People were afraid of the strange things that began to happen in the area and were connected with the lake, and they left.
On the site of the former Kleshchin, the current Pereslavl-Zalessky was built, whose residents continue to tell each other stories about the predecessor city.
Historians have put an end to the story of the wrath of the gods and frightened people. Researchers found that the culprit, or rather the initiator, was not a lake monster or an angry deity, but Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, by whose order the entire population of the city moved to the plain of the Trubezh River, right at the confluence of Lake Pleshcheyevo.
Flying balls 
An example of will-o'-the-wisps
The lake is a favorite place not only among locals, but also among ufologists. True, researchers of everything paranormal do not relax here, but work. Including solving the mystery of fireballs that appear and hover above the surface of the water.
UFO? But what if. But the reality is more prosaic: the poisonous gas phosphine, which has the property of igniting upon contact with air. These are the notorious swamp or witch lights, about which there are many tales in Rus'. Lights appear at sunset and at night. And they are best not ignored, as they represent evidence of serious pollution and declining water levels. If you do not pay attention to the problem, there is a real chance that the reservoir will degenerate into a swamp.
Lake monster and walking stone 
According to eyewitnesses, scuba divers, fishermen and ordinary swimmers often die in these areas. It is very rare to find bodies, and boats often end up broken in two halves. This is probably the work of some deep monster. But there is no evidence of its existence. 
The Blue Stone is a giant boulder, which received a poetic name due to its unusual blue hue. It has been lying on the shores of Lake Pleshcheevo for a very long time, since the times of Finno-Ugric tribes living here, who revered the stone as a shrine. Later it became the center of a pagan temple. 
With the advent of Christianity, the stone was thrown from the mountain and a temple was built in its place. But many, out of old memory, continued to go to the stone giant and perform various rituals there. The official church gave orders to throw the Blue Stone into a well and cover it with earth.
Imagine everyone's surprise when the boulder appeared on the surface again. They drowned it, buried it, but years later the stone again ended up in the same place.
Naturally, such behavior of an inanimate object attracted attention. The stone was worshiped and asked to fulfill wishes. It is especially popular among women who are having trouble getting pregnant.
An ancient deity that has taken over, its own mind or the action of a poltergeist - what makes it move? Scientists explained that the reason is hummocks - giant piles of ice blocks. The wind forces them to move, and the stone frozen in the ice moves with them over considerable distances without any desire of its own. 
People also say that after swimming in the lake, some people develop a rash on their body, which then transforms into scales and growths. But no one contacted doctors who would confirm the fact of such skin problems. Water samples showed no abnormalities.
Stories whose authors saw a strange fog and a path in the middle of it leading to a parallel reality were also not confirmed.
What places do you believe in the mystical powers?
