__NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/

Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to: * Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers * Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period * Alamanni (surna ...

: ''Zürisee'';

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) 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 Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the

Seedamm The Rapperswil Seedamm is the partially artificial causeway and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil (SG). The Seedamm carries a road and a railway across the lake, with the railway being used by the ...

at Rapperswil, whilst the part upstream of Rapperswil may be called the ''Obersee'' or Upper Lake.

Geography

Lake Zurich is formed by the Linth river, which rises in the glaciers of the Glarus Alps and was diverted by the Escher canal (completed in 1811) into Lake Walen from where its waters are carried to the east end of Lake Zurich by means of the Linth canal (completed in 1816). The waters of the Lake of Zurich flow out of the lake at its north-west end (Quaibrücke, Zürich, Quaibrücke), passing through the city of Zürich; however, the outflow is then called the Limmat. The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Tödi at 3,614 metres above sea level. No streams of importance flow into the lake besides the Linth. The

, a partially artificial causeway and bridge, crosses a narrow point of the lake carrying a railway line and road from Rapperswil to Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Pfäffikon. The eastern section of the lake is known as the ''Obersee (Zürichsee), Obersee'' ("upper lake"). West of this dam lie the small islands of Lützelau and Ufenau, where in 1523 Ulrich von Hutten took refuge and died. Both shores are well cultivated and fertile. Another tourist destination is the Au peninsula at the village of Au, Zürich, Au between Wädenswil and Horgen. To the east – separated by Zürichberg-Adlisberg, Forch and Pfannenstiel (Zürich), Pfannenstiel – are two minor lakes: Greifensee (lake), Greifensee (Lake Greifen) and Pfäffikersee (Lake Pfäffikon). Zimmerberg and the Etzel (mountain), Etzel regions lie to the west. Administratively, Lake Zurich is split between the cantons of Canton of Zürich, Zürich, Canton of St. Gallen, St. Gallen and Canton of Schwyz, Schwyz. The lower lake, to the west of the Seedamm, is largely in the canton of Zürich, whilst the upper lake is shared between the cantons of St. Gallen and Schwyz.

History

The lake was frozen in the following Common Era/Anno Domini years: * 1223, 1259, 1262 * 1407, 1491 * 1514, 1517, 1573 * 1600, 1660, 1684, 1695 * 1709, 1716, 1718, 1740, 1755, 1763, 1789 * 1830, 1880, 1891, 1895 * 1929, 1963

Population and transportation

The three population and transportation centres are Zurich, Pfäffikon SZ and Rapperswil. Besides Quaibrücke, Zürich, Quaibrücke in Zurich and the

, there are no bridges across the lake. The Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft – the Lake Zurich Navigation Company – provides with its 17-passenger ships touristic services on Lake Zurich. There are a number of passenger ferry services, noticeably the Horgen–Meilen ferry, an Roll-on/roll-off, auto ferry between Horgen and Meilen.

Towns on the lake

, at the north-western end of the lake, is the largest city on Lake Zurich. On the west shore (which gradually becomes the south shore) are Rüschlikon, Thalwil, Horgen, Wädenswil, Richterswil, Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Pfäffikon, and Lachen, Switzerland, Lachen. On the opposite shore are Küsnacht, Meilen, Stäfa, and Rapperswil-Jona with the medieval town of Rapperswil (St. Gall), Rapperswil, whose castle is home to the Polish Museum, Rapperswil, Polish museum. Schmerikon is close to the east end of the lake, and a little further east is the larger town of Uznach. Lake Zürich from Grossmünster

Water quality

Lake Zurich's water is very clean and reaches, during summer, temperatures well beyond . Swimming in the public baths and beaches is very popular. The lake's water is purified and fed into

's water system; it is potable. PanoZueri

Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee

The Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee comprises 11 of total 56 Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps in Switzerland, that are located around ''Zürichsee'' in the Cantons of Switzerland, cantons of Canton of Schwyz, Schwyz, Canton of St. Gallen, St. Gallen and Canton of Zürich, Zürich. Located on ''Zürichsee'' lakeshore, there are Freienbach–Hurden Rosshorn, Freienbach–Hurden Seefeld, Rapperswil-Jona/Hombrechtikon–Feldbach, Rapperswil-Jona–Technikum, Erlenbach–Winkel, Meilen–Rorenhaab, Wädenswil–Vorder Au, Zürich–Enge Alpenquai, Grosser Hafner and Kleiner Hafner. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around to under the water level of . Also on the small area of about around Zürichsee are the settlements Greifensee–Storen/Wildsberg on ''Greifensee'' and Wetzikon–Robenhausen on ''Pfäffikersee'' lakeshore. As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, each of these 11 prehistoric pile dwellings is also listed as a ''Class object'' in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance.

Tributaries

The following rivers or streams flow into Zürichsee.''Bradshaw's pedestrian route-book for Switzerland, Chamouni, and the Italian lakes'', George Bradshaw (1868) From the Limmat clockwise, they are:

*Hornbach (at Zürichhorn) *Düggelbach (at Zollikon) *Kusenbach (at Küsnacht) *Küsnachter Dorfbach (at Hornelanpark, Küsnacht) *Heslibach (at Erlenbach) *Dorfbach Erlenbach (at Erlenbach) *Tobelbächli (at Erlenbach) *Schipfbach (at Erlenbach) *Rossbach (at Herrliberg) *Meilener Dorfbach (at Meilen) *Beugenbach (at Meilen) *Aebletenbach (at Ländeli) *Uetiker Mulibach (at Meilen) *Feldbach (at Horn) *Sarenbach (at Freienbach) *Krebsbach (at Bäch) *Mülibach (at Richterswil) *Zürichsee (at Wädenswil) *Meilibach (at Wädenswil) *Schanzengraben (Zürich)

Gallery

File:Uetliberg LCD.jpg, View from the top of the observation tower at Uetliberg. File:Felsenegg - view from the top.jpg, View from Felsenegg to the eastern part of Lake Zürich File:Zürichsee.jpg, Ufenau island File:Halbinsel Au Nordseite.jpg, Au peninsula File:SeedammBachtel.JPG,

between Rapperswil and Hurden, view from Bachtel Tower, Bachtel hill File:Rapperswil - Schlosshügel mit Sicht auf Ufenau.JPG, Lützelau and Rapperswil, view from Ufenau island File:DS Stadt Zürich & Rapperswil - Rapperswil 1914.IMG 2362.jpg, Paddle steamer, Paddle steamships ''PS Stadt Rapperswil, Stadt Rapperswil'' (to the left) and ''PS Stadt Zürich, Stadt Zürich'' (1914) at Rapperswil SG, Rapperswil (SG) harbour File:Zurisee Airplane.jpg, Zurisee from an airplane

References

External links

*
Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
��Boat schedules, mainly non-English.
Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen-Meilen
��Ferry schedules, in German.

at

Lake Zurich ENC Chart
{{Authority control Lake Zurich, Lakes of Switzerland, Zurich Lakes of the canton of Zürich, Zurich Lakes of the canton of St. Gallen, Zurich Lakes of the canton of Schwyz, Zurich Linth/Limmat basin, LZurich Schwyz–St. Gallen border