Wörthsee (Wörth lake) is a lake in the
Starnberg
Starnberg is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, some southwest of Munich. It is at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the Starnberg (district), district of Starnberg. Recor ...
district of Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the lakes of the
Fünfseenland
The Fünfseenland is the name for an area in Upper Bavaria between, and including, the Ammersee and Starnberger See, which contains the remainder of the great glacial lakes of the area ( Pilsensee, Wörthsee
Wörthsee (Wörth lake) is a lak ...
(Five lakes) region, which contains the remains of a great glacial lake.
Location
The Wörthsee is located to the east of the
Ammersee
Ammersee (; English: Lake Ammer) is a '' Zungenbecken'' lake in Upper Bavaria, Germany, southwest of Munich between the towns of Herrsching and Dießen am Ammersee. With a surface area of approximately , it is the sixth largest lake in Germany ...
and southwest of
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
.
The lake mostly lies in the
Inning am Ammersee
Inning is a municipality in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Starnberg, in the Regierungsbezirk of Oberbayern. It lies on the shores of lake Ammersee
Ammersee (; English: Lake Ammer) is a '' Zungenbecken'' lake in Upper Bavaria, Germany ...
and
Wörthsee
Wörthsee (Wörth lake) is a lake in the Starnberg (district), Starnberg district of Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the lakes of the Fünfseenland (Five lakes) region, which contains the remains of a great glacial lake.
Location
The Wörthsee i ...
municipalities, but a small part lies in the
Seefeld municipality.
The Wörthsee, Ammersee, Starnberger See, Pilsensee and Weßlinger See make up the five lakes from which the Fünfseenland takes its name.
The Wörthsee is the third largest of the lakes.
Hydrology
The lake is , with an area of and a maximum depth of .
It has a mean water level of above sea level.
The catchment area is . The lake is largely fed by groundwater, and discharges just per second.
Island
The lake is named after the island of Wörth, which lies in the western part of the lake. The island is commonly called
Mausinsel
Mausinsel ("Mouse island", also called Wörth) is an island in the Wörthsee lake in Bavaria. It contains the Wörthschlössl, a castle.
Location
Mausinsel lies in the west of the Wörthsee lake, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Th ...
(Mouse Island).
This name comes from an old legend. Many years ago a rich but hard-hearted count owned the island. During a time of famine, some peasants came to ask him for food. He had them herded into a barn, which was set on fire. When the wailing of the dying peasants died down, the count said "do you hear that whimpering of rats and mice. Soon these pests will be exterminated." The count rode back to his castle, which was invaded by a swarm of rats and mice that even stole the food from his plate. He fled to the island, but they followed him there and ate him alive. They then disappeared.
The island is privately owned, and is not accessible to the public. It contains the Wörthschlössl mansion, which dates to 1146, and its chapel of St. Simpert.
The mansion was formerly used by the Count of Toerring as his summer residence.
Activities
The shore is largely built up, making the lake difficult to access. There are five points around the lake where it may be accessed by swimmers.
The lake is thought to be one of the cleanest and warmest in Bavaria.
The Augustiner am Worthsee restaurant has a terrace on the shore of the lake.
Gallery
File:Steinebach WseeOberndorfWinter.jpg, Wörthsee at Oberndorf in Winter
File:Steinebach WseeWalchstadt.jpg, View looking northwest across the lake from Steinebach Village
File:Woerthsee.JPG
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Worthsee
Lakes of Bavaria