Oeschinen Lake (German: ''Oeschinensee'') is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
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
Kandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mounta ...
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
The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes and arctic and subarctic coastal waters. Its distribution is Circumpolar North. It spawns in freshwater and populatio ...
(''Seesaibling''),
lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...
(''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
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities.
Shelters
Longer ...
is popular.
A
gondola lift
A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supp ...
from Kandersteg leads to Oeschinen, 25 minutes by foot from the lake.
Since 2007 the lake is part of the
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
-
Aletsch-
Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
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
This article contains a sortable table listing all major lakes of Switzerland. The table includes all still water bodies, natural or artificial, that have a surface area of at least , regardless of water volume, maximum depth or other metric. Th ...
*
List of mountain lakes of Switzerland
This is a list of high-altitude lakes in Switzerland. It includes all significant lakes, natural or artificial, with an area over 4 hectares and a height over 800 metres above sea level. This height approximately corresponds to the transiti ...
*
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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