Walensee

{{Infobox lake

| name = Walensee

| other_name = Lake Walen
{{small|Lake Walenstadt}}

| image = Aerial image of the Walensee.jpg

| caption = Aerial view from the east

| image_bathymetry = Karte Walensee.png

| caption_bathymetry = Map

| location = St. Gallen, Glarus

| coords = {{coord|47|7|N|9|12|E|type:waterbody_region:CH|display=inline,title}}

| type =

| inflow = Linth (Escherkanal), Seez, Murgbach

| outflow = Linth canal

| catchment =

| basin_countries = Switzerland

| length =

| width =

| area = {{convert|24.19|km2|abbr=on}}

| depth = {{convert|104.7|m|abbr=on}}

| max-depth = {{convert|151|m|abbr=on}}

| volume = {{convert|2.5|km3|acre.ft|abbr=on}}

| residence_time = 1.45 years

| shore =

| elevation = {{convert|419|m|abbr=on}}

| islands = Schnittlauchinsel

| cities = Walenstadt, Weesen, Quinten, Quarten, Murg

| pushpin_map = Canton of St. Gallen#Canton of Glarus#Switzerland#Alps

| pushpin_label_position = bottom

| embedded = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=11 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}

}}

Lake Walen, also known as Lake Walenstadt or {{lang|de|Walensee}} ({{IPA|de|ˈvaːln̩ˌzeː|-|De-Walensee.ogg}}), is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland. Located in the east of the country, about two thirds of its area are in the canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the canton of Glarus.

Its name means 'Lake of the Walhaz' ({{langx|de|See der Welschen}}), since in the early Middle Ages Lake Walen formed the linguistic border between the Alemanni, who settled in the west, and the Romansh people, the Walhaz ({{lang|de|Welschen}}), in the east.{{cite book |last=Walch |first=Gertrud |title=Orts- und Flurnamen des Kantons St. Gallen. Bausteine zu einem Glarner Namenbuch |location=Schaffhausen |year=1996 |pages=266}}

Geography

The lake lies in a valley between the Appenzell Alps to the north and the Glarus Alps to the south. It has a long east-west extension but is relatively narrow in north-south direction, with a surface area of {{cvt|24|km2}}. It has a maximum depth of {{cvt|151|m}}.

The three main tributaries of the lake are the Seez, Murgbach and Linth. The latter continues its course from Walensee to Obersee (Lake Zurich) through the Linth canal. Until the regulation of the Linth during the early 19th century, the Linth bypassed Walensee west of it and the lake's outflow was a river called the Maag, which merged with the Linth near Ziegelbrücke. The Seerenbach Falls and Rinquelle are adjacent to the north of the lake. The Schnittlauchinsel, near the eastern end of the lake, is the only island in the Walensee.

The Churfirsten range raises steeply on the north side from the lake's level at {{cvt|419|m}} to {{cvt|2,306|m}} above sea level, joining the Mattstock ({{cvt|1,936|m}}) and Federispitz ({{cvt|1,865|m}}) to the west. The Paxmal near Walenstadt overlooks the lake. On the south, the lake is overlooked by the Mürtschenstock Massif, whose peak is {{cvt|2,441|m}} above sea level, and the resort area Flumserberg. The highest point of the lake's drainage basin is the Tödi ({{cvt|3,614|m}}).{{cite map |publisher= Swisstopo |title= 1:25,000 topographic map |url= http://s.geo.admin.ch/9324aa0f5 |access-date= 2014-07-30 }}

{{wide image|Panorama flumserberg walensee.jpg|1000px|As seen from the Flumserberg||none}}

Settlements and transportation

Apart from Walenstadt at the eastern end of the lake, other lakeside towns and villages are Weesen at the western end of the lake and Mühlehorn and Mols, Murg and Unterterzen south of the lake. Quinten, located on the northern shore of the lake, can only be reached on foot from Weesen or Walenstadt via a hiking trail{{cite web |url=https://www.amden-weesen.ch/en/poi/detail/weesen-walenstadt-8df50f991d |title=Weesen - Walenstadt hiking trail |publisher=amden-weesen.ch |access-date=2024-09-01}} or by boat (e.g. via a ferry from Murg) as there are no roads. Commercial passenger boats are operated by Walensee-Schifffahrt.{{cite web |url=https://en.walenseeschiff.ch/de/ |title=Experience the Swiss fjord |publisher=Walensee-Schifffahrt |access-date=2024-09-01}}

To the south, the lake is followed by the A3 motorway and the Ziegelbrücke–Sargans railway line, with stations at {{rws|Mühlehorn}}, {{rws|Murg}}, {{rws|Unterterzen}} and {{rws|Walenstadt}}. Unterterzen railway station is connected via a gondola lift with Oberterzen and the resort area Flumserberg.{{cite web |url=https://www.flumserberg.ch/Operating-hours |access-date=2024-09-01 |title=Opening hours on Flumserberg |publisher=flumserberg.ch}} There is also a continuous bike route (Route 9) along the southern shore, featuring a section through tunnels (former railway tunnels) at Kerenzerberg.

Arts

The lake provided the inspiration for a solo piano piece by Hungarian Romantic composer Franz Liszt, Au lac de Wallenstadt. The piece is part of a collection of solo piano works inspired by his travels to Switzerland in the 1830s.

Gallery

Walensee Unterterzen-2.jpg|Walensee and Unterterzen, Quarten

Walensee, Switzerland.JPG|Looking to the west towards Amden

Amden Weesen Linthebene3.jpg|Escher canal (left), diverting the river Linth into Lake Walen, and the Linth canal (right), the present-day outflow of the lake

Weesen 2011-07-31n.jpg|Commercial passenger boat

Thumb IMG 0392 1024 Jet d'eau du lac de Walenstadt à Weesen.jpg|Weesen harbour

Schnittlauchinsel Walenstadt.jpg|Schnittlauchinsel

References

External links

{{commonscat-inline|Walensee}}
[http://www.hydrodaten.admin.ch/en/2118.html#aktuelle_daten Waterlevels of Walensee] at Murg
{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Walensee | volume= 28 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge| page = 258 |short= 1}}

Walen

Category:Lakes of the canton of Glarus

Category:Lakes of the canton of St. Gallen

LWalensee

Category:Glarus–St. Gallen border