The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from
Walenstadt, is one of the larger
lakes in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, with about two thirds of its area in the
Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the
Canton of Glarus
The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.
The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.
The majority of ...
. Other towns and villages at the lake include
Weesen,
Quinten,
Quarten, and Murg.
The three main rivers leading to the lake are the
Seez,
Murgbach, and
Linth. The last continues its course from Walensee to
Lake Zurich. The
Schnittlauchinsel
The Schnittlauchinsel (German, lit. "chives island") is an island in the Walensee, located in the canton of Canton of St. Gallen. It is the only island in the lake and among the largest in the canton of St. Gallen. The island has a length of 80 met ...
, at 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 419 m to 2,306 m above sea level. On the south, the lake is overlooked by the
Mürtschenstock Massif, whose peak is 2,441 m above sea level. The highest point of the lake's drainage basin is the
Tödi (3,614 m).
The lake provided the inspiration for a solo piano piece by
Hungarian Romantic composer
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
,
Au lac de Wallenstadt. The piece is part of a collection of solo piano works inspired by his travels to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in the 1830s.
Gallery
Aerial image of the Walensee.jpg, Aerial image of the Walensee
File:Walensee, Switzerland.JPG, Looking to the west towards Amden
References
External links
*
Waterlevels of Walenseeat Murg
*
Walen
Lakes of the canton of Glarus
Lakes of the canton of St. Gallen
LWalensee
Glarus–St. Gallen border
{{Glarus-geo-stub