Funtensee is a

karst lake Karst lakes are formed as the result of a collapse of caves, especially in water-soluble rocks such as limestone, gypsum and dolomite. This process is known as karstification. They can cover areas of several 100 square kilometres. Their shallow l ...

on the

Steinernes Meer The Steinernes Meer (literally "Rocky Sea") is a high karst plateau in the Northern Limestone Alps. As one of the nine sub-ranges of the Berchtesgaden Alps the Steinernes Meer belongs partly to Bavaria and partly to Salzburg. Location To the no ...

plateau in

Berchtesgaden National Park Berchtesgaden National Park is in the south of Germany, on its border with Austria, in the municipalities of Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden and Schönau am Königsee, Berchtesgadener Land, Free State of Bavaria. The national park was established in 19 ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is located in the larger of two

sinkholes A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

(also referred to as uvala). The area is known for record low temperatures, up to 30 °C (54 °F) lower than the surrounding area. Its primary inflows are the Steingraben, Stuhlgraben and Rennergraben streams.

Location

The lake lies at an elevation of 1601 m and has a surface area is 3.5 ha. Its outflow toward the Schrainbach is subterranean at a location called ''Teufelsmühle''. On its shore is the Kärlinger Haus

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...

which is open for the summer season; in addition, there is a winter room available. The valley is surrounded by the mountains Viehkogel (2,158 m), Glunkerer (1,932 m) and Stuhljoch (2,448 m)Pflanzensoziologische Untersuchunges im Bereich der alpinen Baumgrenze um Funtenseegebit unter Berücksichtigung des antopogenen Einflusses
Horst Freiberg 1985 which lead to the

Funtenseetauern The Funtenseetauern is a 2,579 m high border peak between Germany and Austria on the northern edge of the Steinernes Meer, one of the nine massifs of the Berchtesgaden Alps. The Funtenseetauern rises south of Berchtesgaden, its broad shoulder tow ...

mountain (2,578 m), named after the lake.

History

Earliest evidence of use of the area for grazing can be traced to ca 1604-1619. Around 1870 there was evidence of eight active ''Kaser'' (living quarters/stables) causing concerns of

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

. The ''Funtenseealm'' (hut) was active until 1964.

Temperature

Known as the coldest spot in Germany, the lake is the site where the country's record lowest temperature, , DAV Sektion Berchtesgaden was recorded on 24 December 2001. It is theorized that due to the unique situation of trapped cold air, a temperature of is possible. The extreme cold spot at the lake is said to result in a reverse

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

, as no trees can grow at any point below about 60 m above the lake, although studies have found that it may be the result of overgrazing animals. Temperatures are regularly monitored by a private

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

installed by

Jörg Kachelmann Jörg Andreas Kachelmann (born 15 July 1958 in Lörrach, Germany) is a Swiss presenter, journalist and entrepreneur in the meteorological field. Early life and education Jörg Kachelmann spent his youth in Schaffhausen. His childhood ambition was ...

Outflow

The noise of the water disappearing underground has led to local folklore and the naming of the outflowpoint ''Teufelsmühle''Die Teufelsmühle am Funtensee
Sektion-alpen.net (''Devil's Mill'' or ''Devil's Grinder''). The exact route the water takes underground has not yet been established, and an extensive cave has not been ruled out, but the outflow point is not accessible to humans for investigation.

References

{{Authority control Lakes of Bavaria Berchtesgaden Alps

Location

History

Temperature

Outflow

See also

References