Oeschinen Lake (German: ''Oeschinensee'') is a
lake in the
Bernese Oberland,
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 ...
, east of
Kandersteg in the Oeschinen valley. At an elevation of , it has a surface area of . Its maximum depth is .
The lake was created by
a giant landslide and is fed through a series of mountain creeks and drains underground. The water then resurfaces as the ''Oeschibach''. Part of it is captured for electricity production and as water supply for Kandersteg.
In observations from 1931 to 1965, the elevation of the lake surface varied between and . The average seasonal variation was (September/April).
The lake is generally frozen during five months, from December to May. From time to time ice skating is possible on the ice.
Fish in the lake include
Arctic char (''Seesaibling''),
lake trout (''Kanadische Seeforelle''),
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
(''Regenbogenforelle''). From January to March,
ice fishing is popular.
A
gondola lift from Kandersteg leads to Oeschinen, 25 minutes by foot from the lake.
Since 2007 the lake is part of the
Jungfrau-
Aletsch-
Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As of summer 2021, a circumnavigation of Lake Oeschinen is not possible. The reason for this is the danger of an imminent rockfall on the south shore, which is why paths are closed there.
See also
*
List of lakes of Switzerland
*
List of mountain lakes of Switzerland
*
References
Fischerei im Oeschinensee
*
External links
Oeschinen LakeLicht- und Wasserwerk AGKandersteg
Lakes of the Swiss Alps
Bernese Oberland
LOeschinensee
Tourist attractions in Switzerland
World Heritage Sites in Switzerland
Lakes of the canton of Bern
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