Walchensee
Encyclopedia
Walchensee or Lake Walchen is one of the deepest and largest alpine lakes in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, with a maximum depth of 192.3 metres (630.9 ft) and an area of 16.4 square kilometres (6.3 sq mi). The lake is 75 kilometres (46.6 mi) south of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 in the middle of the Bavarian Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

. The entire lake, including the island Sassau is part of the municipality of Kochel
Kochel
Kochel am See is a municipality in the district of Bad Tolz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria on the shores of Kochelsee.Apart from the idyllic scenery, it is known for The Smith of Kochel "Schmied von Kochel," who according to legend, lead a Bavarian farmer rebellion against Austro-Hungarian occupiers at...

. To the east and the south, the lake borders the municipality of Jachenau
Jachenau
Jachenau is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....

.

Etymology

The name Walchen comes from Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...

 and means strangers. All Roman and romanized peoples of the Alps south of Bavaria were known to the locals as Welsche or even Walche. This is also true of the etymology of the Swiss Lake Walen
Lake Walen
Walensee is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, for about 2/3 of its surface in the Canton of St. Gallen and for 1/3 in the Canton of Glarus. It is also known as Lake Walen or Lake Walenstadt, after Walenstadt. Other towns and villages at the lake include: Weesen, Quinten, Quarten, and Murg.The...

 and the Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

 Wallersee.

Another possible interpretation is that it comes from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 Lacus vallensis, meaning lake in a valley. On 16th century maps, the lake is also labelled dicto Italico, meaning leading to Italy. This probably resulted from the fact that route through the Walchensee Valley lead through Mittenwald
Mittenwald
Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.-Geography:Mittenwald is located approx. 16 kilometers to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen...

 and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

 to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

Genesis

Walchensee fills a tectonic valley; part of the Bayerischen Synkline or Bavarian syncline
Syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger layers closer to the center of the structure. A synclinorium is a large syncline with superimposed smaller folds. Synclines are typically a downward fold, termed a synformal syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger...

and from rocks of the triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...

 period (the main dolomite, Plattenkalke, and Kössener layers). The extreme depth of the lake, 192.3 metres (630.9 ft) is the result of this tectonic formation. The rock faces of the northwestern shore cleary shows the steep arrangement of the rock layers. The creation of the lake from the forces of mountain building indicate that Walchensee could be one of the oldest lakes in Germany. During the ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

, the Isar-Loisach glacier repeatedly left its mark on the morphology of the area and thereby the Walchensee.

Location and surrounding communities

The mountain lake has a shoreline of approximately 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) and contains 1.3 cubic kilometre (0.311886586185573 cu mi) of water. The Jachen
Jachen
Jachen is a river of Bavaria, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Bavaria...

 is the natural outflow of the lake, eastwards through the valley of Jachenau to the Isar
Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...

. Obernach is the largest natural inflow to the lake, which flows in from the southwest. Together with the artificial inflow (see the section Peculiarties), the lake has a catchment basin of 780 square kilometres (301.2 sq mi).

Walchensee lies at 802 metres (2,631.2 ft) above sea level. It is surrounded by wooded mountains. To the northwest stands the Herzogstand
Herzogstand
The Herzogstand is a mountain in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, 75 km south of the city of Munich. It has an elevation of 1731 metres and is situated northwest of Lake Walchen. Maximilian II of Bavaria had a hunting lodge built underneath today's so-called Herzogstand-house in 1857. His...

-Heimgarten group at 1731 m and 1790 m respectively and borders on the valley of the Eschenlaine to the west of the lake. The southside of the Eschenlaine valley is the Simetsberg (1836 m), which is the end of the Ester Mountains. To the south of the lake, the Altlacher Hochkopf separates Walchensee from the valley of the Isar. On the eastern shore lies the Jachenau, a long drawn-out alpine valley that stretches in the direction of Lenggries
Lenggries
Lenggries is a municipality in Bavaria, Germany. Lenggries is the center of the Isarwinkel, the region along the Isar between Bad Tölz and Wallgau...

. The northeast is dominated by the Benediktenwand
Benediktenwand
The Benediktenwand is a mountain of the Bavarian Alps in Germany close to Austria, at 1801 meters above sea level – between the rivers Loisach and Isar as well as the Jachenau in the south and Benediktbeuern with its Benediktbeuern Abbey in the north....

. A little further to the west is Jochberg
Jochberg (mountain)
Jochberg is a tall mountain in the Bavarian Alpenvorland, the first range of mountains of the Alps in southern Germany. The mountain stands between two large lakes, namely Kochelsee and Walchensee....

 (1565 m), which completes the valley wall. Between Herzogstand and Jochberg is little Kesselberg, which because of its relatively low prominence appears rather to be a depression between the two higher peaks. But this mountain separates Walchensee from Kochelsee
Kochelsee
Kochelsee or Lake Kochel is located south of Munich on the edge of the Bavarian Alps. The western third of the lake lies within the borders of the town of Schlehdorf, while the rest belongs to Kochel am See. The southern edge of the lake lies up against the mountains and the northern shore is...

, which lies 200 metres (656.2 ft) lower than Walchensee.

Directly on the west bank of the lake is the tiny Luftkurort settlement of Walchensee, with only about 600 inhabitants. Walchensee belongs to the municipality Kochel
Kochel
Kochel am See is a municipality in the district of Bad Tolz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria on the shores of Kochelsee.Apart from the idyllic scenery, it is known for The Smith of Kochel "Schmied von Kochel," who according to legend, lead a Bavarian farmer rebellion against Austro-Hungarian occupiers at...

 as do the yet smaller settlements of Urfeld at the northern tip of the lake, Zwergen on the western shore, and the houses of Einsiedl am Walchensee on the orographic left bank of the Obernach at the furthest southwestern end of the lake. The houses of Einsiedl am Walchensee on the right back of the Obernach as well as Altlach on the southern shore along with the farmsteads of Matheis, Christopher, and Breitort, and Sachenbach on the east shore and Niedernach in the far southwest belong to the municipality of Jachenau
Jachenau
Jachenau is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....

. Between the settlements of Walchensee and Einsiedl, the 1.4 square kilometre (0.540543022029549 sq mi)Katzenkopf peninsula reaches 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) into the lake. The settlement of Zwergen lies on this peninsula.

The surface of the lake forms a north-facing triangle, with the southern shore forming a 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) base from Einsiedl to Niedernach and the height reaching 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Breitort to Urfeld.

Climate

Due to its location in a valley, the lake is protected from northern and eastern winds. The relatively low mountains on the south shore let in the optimal amount of sunlight, giving Walchensee a milder climate than one might expect in the mountains. During the summer months, heat on southern side of Herzogstand and Jochberg creata strong thermal
Thermal
A thermal column is a column of rising air in the lower altitudes of the Earth's atmosphere. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example of convection. The sun warms the ground, which in turn warms the air directly above it...

s on sunny days. Stable thermal winds blow generally southwest. When the thermals carry saturated air masses from the Walchensee high into the air and mix with air from the more northerly Kochelsee by a prevailing wind from the northwest, it can lead to particularly violent thunderstorms.

In contrast to a Foehn, when a Katabatic wind
Katabatic wind
A katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning "going downhill", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also called fall winds...

 blows from south to north, the associated dry air ensures excellent visibility.

History

Since prehistoric times the local population has probably felt a close association with the lake, so it was for example usual up until the 18th century to throw consecrated gold coins into the deepest part of the lake.

The wealth of fish in the lake led to the monasteries of Benediktbeuern Abbey
Benediktbeuern Abbey
Benediktbeuern Abbey is a monastery of the Salesians of Don Bosco, originally a monastery of the Benedictine Order, in Benediktbeuern in Bavaria, near the Kochelsee, 64 km south-south-west of Munich...

 and Schlehdorf Abbey
Schlehdorf Abbey
Schlehdorf Abbey was originally a Benedictine monastery, later an Augustinian monastery, and is today a convent of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of King William's Town....

 to claim Walchensee already in 740 AD. The monasteries owned the lake until secularization
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....

 in 1803. The abbey at Benediktbeuern had the larger rights than Schlehdorf. Today the free state of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

 owns Walchensee.

In Munich around 1900, the idea was born to use the 200 metres (656.2 ft) drop between Walchensee and Kochelsee to generate power. For this purpose, dives to survey the lakebottom were already under way in 1903. The driving force behind this venture was Oskar von Miller
Oskar von Miller
Oskar von Miller was a German engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, a large museum of technology and science....

, who founded the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...

 in 1903. The approval process dragged on until 1918. Construction work began immediately after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. On January 24, 1924, water from Walchensee turned the turbines on the shore of Kochelsee for the first time.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 at least two aircraft ditched and sank into the lake. In April 1945 the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 and officials of the Reichsbank
Reichsbank
The Reichsbank was the central bank of Germany from 1876 until 1945. It was founded on 1 January 1876 . The Reichsbank was a privately owned central bank of Prussia, under close control by the Reich government. Its first president was Hermann von Dechend...

 approved a plan to store at least part of the reserves of the German Reichsbank at Einsiedl, a small town on the south-west shore. Subsequently, the assets were buried in an undisclosed location in the crags above the Obernach powerplant. The assets consisted of 365 sacks, each with two gold bars
Gold bar
A gold bar is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping....

, nine envelopes with gold documents, four crates of gold, two bags of gold coins, six boxes of Danish coins, and 94 sacks of foreign currency. The foreign currency was mainly U.S. dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

 and Swiss francs. On June 6, 1945, the treasure was handed over to the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

. 100 gold bars and all the U.S. dollars and Swiss francs were missing. Possibly there are other hoards, where valuables such as other currencies
Foreign exchange market
The foreign exchange market is a global, worldwide decentralized financial market for trading currencies. Financial centers around the world function as anchors of trading between a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers around the clock, with the exception of weekends...

 or gemstones
Gemstones
Gemstones is the third solo album by Adam Green, released in 2005. The album is characterised by the heavy presence of Wurlitzer piano, whereas its predecessor relied on a string section in its instrumentation.-Track listing:#Gemstones – 2:24...

 were hidden. Even today, speculation continues about the existence and exact location of such caches.

Since the 1950s, Walchensee has become a popular destination for day trips from Munich and other upper Bavarian cities as well as for tourists. The local population now lives primarily from tourism.

Ecology

The clear waters with an average visibility of 8-10 m owes its turquoise-green color to the relatively high proportion of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...

. The waters of Walchensee rate as water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...

 class 1 under the saprobic system. The temperature of the water is relatively low, which is typical for a mountain lake. In summer the water temperature ranges from 17 °C (62.6 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F) and from 10 °C (50 °F) to 16 °C (60.8 °F) in the spring and fall. The nutrient load on the originally oligotroph
Oligotroph
An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments...

ic Walchensee has declined since the mid 1980s, due to the improvement in sanitation in Mittenwald
Mittenwald
Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.-Geography:Mittenwald is located approx. 16 kilometers to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen...

.

The Walchensee including its shores is a Lanschaftsschützgebiet landscape protection area. Of the 7 km long south shore, 2.5 km are set aside for recreational purposes, such as bathing. The rest of the shore is steep dropoff for the most part. The lake shore in the west is not developed, with a few exceptions.

The island of Sassau (2.9 hectares) is a nature reserve. The island is off limits all year round. The island is 367 metres (1,204.1 ft) long and 93 metres (305.1 ft) wide in the west. In the east it is only half as wide. Its highest point is 12 metres (39.4 ft) above the surface of the lake.

Flora and fauna

More than 500 years ago, the first fish species was introduced into the lake. In 1480 Coregonus
Coregonus
Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family . The type species is the common whitefish . The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes...

 were introduced from Kochelsee, followed by char
Salvelinus
Salvelinus is a genus of salmonid fish often called char or charr; some species are called "trout". Salvelinus is a member of the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Charr may be identified by light cream pink or red spots over a darker body. Scales tend to be small, with 115-200 along...

 from Tegernsee
Tegernsee
Tegernsee is a town in the Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake, at an elevation of 747 m above sea level....

. The lake environment can be divided into three zones: shore, bottom, and open water. The following table lists the fish that can be found in these zones.
Shore Bottom Open Water
Asp
Asp (fish)
The Asp is a European freshwater fish of the Cyprinid family. It is protected by the Bern Convention of endangered species and habitats . Asps are also on the IUCN Red List of endangered species....


Carp bream
Carp bream
The common bream, freshwater bream, bream, bronze bream or carp bream, Abramis brama, is a European species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae....


Common Bleak
Common carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...


Common dace
Common dace
The common dace , also known as the dace or the Eurasian dace, is a fresh- or brackish-water fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. It is an inhabitant of the rivers and streams of Europe north of the Alps as well as in Asia. It is most abundant in France and Germany, and has also spread to...


Common minnow
Common Roach
Common Rudd
Esox
Esox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...


European chub
European chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...


European eel
European eel
The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but are normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m....


Ide
Silver Bream
Silver Bream
The Silver Bream is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.-Locations:It is found in Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Iceland, Iran,...


Tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...


Wels catfish
Wels catfish
The wels catfish , also called sheatfish, is a large catfish found in wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, and near the Baltic and Caspian Seas. It is a scaleless fresh and brackish water fish recognizable by its broad, flat head and wide mouth...


Zarte
Zarte
Vimba vimba, called also the vimba bream, vimba,zanthe, or zarte, is a European fish species in the Cyprinidae family....

Barbus barbus
Barbus barbus
Barbus barbus is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of minnows and carps. It shares the common name "barbel" with its many relatives in the genus Barbus and is properly known as the Common Barbel.B...


Burbot
Burbot
The burbot is the only gadiform fish inhabiting freshwaters. It is also known as mariah, the lawyer, and eelpout. It is closely related to the marine common ling and the cusk...


Chondrostoma nasus
Cobitidae
Common whitefish
Common whitefish
Coregonus lavaretus is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus Coregonus.There are widely different concepts about the number of species in the genus Coregonus and the delimitation of the species Coregonus lavaretus.-Lavaret:In a narrow...


Coregonus acronius
Coregonus
Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family . The type species is the common whitefish . The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes...


Crucian carp
Crucian carp
The crucian carp is a member of the family Cyprinidae, which includes many other fish, such as the common carp, or the smaller minnows. They inhabit lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout Europe and Asia. The crucian is a medium-sized cyprinid, which rarely exceeds a weight of over 3.3...


European bullhead
European bullhead
The bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the Cottidae family, a type of sculpin...


Percidae
Percidae
The Percidae are a family of perciform fish found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The family contains about 200 species in ten genera...


Ruffe
Ruffe
The Eurasian Ruffe or simply Ruffe is a freshwater fish found in temperate regions of Europe and northern Asia. It has been introduced into the Great Lakes of North America, reportedly with unfortunate results...


Rutilus meidingerii
Rutilus meidingerii
Rutilus meidingerii is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Austria, Germany, and Slovakia.-Source:* Kottelat, M. 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....

Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....


Mairenke (either Alburnus mento
Alburnus mento
Alburnus mento is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Alburnus....

 or Chalcalburnus chalcoides)
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Renke
Coregonus
Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family . The type species is the common whitefish . The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes...


Salvelinus alpinus alpinus
Zander
Zander
Zander is a species of fish. The scientific name is Sander lucioperca , and it is closely allied to perch. Zander are often called pike-perch as they resemble the pike with their elongated body and head, and the perch with their spiny dorsal fin. Zander are not, as is commonly believed, a pike and...



More than 50% of the fish that live here are threatened or at least endangered in Bavaria or in this stock, such as the Wels catfish or the Rutilus meidingerii. The Swan mussel
Swan mussel
The swan mussel, Anodonta cygnea, is a large species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Unionidae, the river mussels....

 is also on the red list
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...

 of endangered plant and animals.

In 2003, Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...

 began a project to stock Walchensee again with Astacus astacus
Astacus astacus
Astacus astacus, the European crayfish, noble crayfish or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional foodstuff. Like other crayfish, Astacus astacus is restricted to fresh water, living only in unpolluted streams, rivers and lakes...

. For this purpose, 1900 crabs were captured in Eibsee
Eibsee
Eibsee is a lake in Bavaria, Germany, 9km southwest of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and roughly 100km southwest of Munich. At an elevation of 973.28 m, its surface area is 177.4 ha...

, west of Garmish-Partenkirchen. However, success of the resettlement can only be declared once five years have passed.

For many bird species, the lake and the island Sassau offer excellent breeding opportunities. For migrating birds, it offers a safe winterquarters or resting place for further migration. In addition to Red-necked
Red-necked Grebe
The Red-necked Grebe is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes...

 and Black-necked Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
The Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, known in North America as the Eared Grebe, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It occurs on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.-Taxonomy:There are three subspecies:*P. n...

s, Mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....

s, and Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Coot
The Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...

s, one can find Common Merganser
Common Merganser
The Common Merganser or Goosander Mergus merganser is a large duck, of rivers and lakes of forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. It eats fish and nests in holes in trees...

s and Great Northern Diver
Great Northern Diver
The Great Northern Loon, Great Northern Diver, or Common Loon , is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds...

s here.

Near the shore in many inlets, Ranunculus fluitans
Ranunculus fluitans
Ranunculus fluitans ' is a species of buttercup. It is a perennial and bushy in favourable conditions when it can grow to 6m height...

 and Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum
Myriophyllum spicatum is a species of Myriophyllum native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa. It is a submerged aquatic plant, and grows in still or slow-moving water.-Description:...

 grow just below the surface. The vegetable plankton Diatoms and Green algae
Green algae
The green algae are the large group of algae from which the embryophytes emerged. As such, they form a paraphyletic group, although the group including both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic...

  together with the animal plantons Water fleas Cyclops (genus) and occur in virtually all areas on the lake. Also in the shore zone grow native Phragmites
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...

 and Schoenoplectus
Schoenoplectus
Schoenoplectus is a genus of about 80 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. Note that the name bulrush is also applied to species in the unrelated genus Typha...

. Nymphaea alba
Nymphaea alba
Nymphaea alba, also known as the European White Waterlily, White Lotus, or Nenuphar, is an aquatic flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae....

 and Nuphar lutea
Nuphar lutea
Nuphar lutea is an aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae, native to temperate regions of Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia.-Growth:...

 offer reliable shelter to more than just the Grass Snake
Grass Snake
The grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...

.

Tourism

Like other large lakes, such as Tegernsee
Tegernsee
Tegernsee is a town in the Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake, at an elevation of 747 m above sea level....

, Walchensee plays a major role is tourism for the region. Enthusiasts of windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

 and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

 take advantage of the continuous thermal winds of the summer months. Creation of thermals is encouraged by winds from the East or North and by the relatively large day and night temperatures. The clear waters with visibility of up to 40 metres (131.2 ft) and a whole series of car, boat, and even aircraft wrecks make the lake particularly interesting for scuba divers
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

. In addition to the usual activities, such as swimming and hiking, those seeking recreation in the winter months can hike and cross country ski in the surrounding mountains.

The Herzogstandbahn, a gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...

, runs from Spring to Fall from Walchensee up the Fahrenberg. From there one can walk past the Herzogstandhaus to the top of the Herzogstand in 30-45 minutes.

Power plant Walchensee

In 1924, Bayernwerk AG put the Lake Walchen Power Plant
Lake Walchen Power Plant
The Walchensee Power Plant is a high pressure storage power station in Bavaria. With an installed output of 124 MW it is today one the largest of its kind in Germany...

 into operation on the south shore of Kochelsee. Six pipes carry water from Walchensee 200 m down the mountain to the hydroelectric plant. In order to increase the amount of water available for the plant, a 7-km long tunnel was driven in the Karwendel
Karwendel
The Karwendel is the largest range of the Northern Limestone Alps. Four chains stretch from west to east; in addition, there are a number of fringe ranges and an extensive promontory in the north....

 to tap the Rißbach
Rißbach
Rißbach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....

 and Isar
Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...

 rivers, feeding Walchensee. Overall, Walchensee has an average volume of 1.3 billion cubic meters. Two smaller hydroelectric plants were built directly on Walchensee: one at the mouth of the Niedernach in the southeast and one on the Obernach in the southwest.

Large amounts of water are only taken from lake during winter months so as not to disturb the tourist industry during the peak season. Because of the large fluctuations in water level during the winter, the lake no longer freezes.
  • Maximum water level 802 m above sea level
  • Nominal water level 801.5 m above sea level
  • Minimum water level 795 m above sea level


The ice that does form in the individual bays is very thin and is off limits.

Wrecks

On the lakebottom is a series of wrecks, including three aircraft. From World War II there is an Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...

 and a British Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...

 bomber. Among the debris the remains of an Aero Commander 680W was found. The high-wing twin-engine plane with the markings D-ID MON crashed into the lake on 27 December 1978 after its tail broke off. The plane crashed in shallow water and was immediately salvaged along with its crew.

The wrecks of two cars near the shore, a Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...

 and a Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

, are also popular for divers to explore.

Landscape painting

In 1934, the painter Lorenzo Quaglio the Younger
Lorenzo Quaglio the Younger
Lorenzo Quaglio the Younger was a genre painter and lithographer, born in Munich to the long Italian pedigree of Quaglios.-Life:...

 immortalized Walchensee in an oil painting titled simply Der Walchensee. The painting hangs today in the Munich City Museum.

After World War I, the artist Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth was a German painter and printmaker whose mature work realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism....

 bought a house in Urfeld. From 1919 until the end of his life in 1925, the Impressionist
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...

spent his summer months along with his wife at the lake. His success as a landscape painter rests on the work he did with Walchensee as a subject. He did more than 60 of these paintings.

External links

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