Weißensee (See in Kärnten)
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The Weissensee (
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 **Ger ...
spelling: ''Weißensee'') is a lake in the Austrian state of
Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
within the Gailtal Alps mountain range. The highest situated Carinthian bathing lake shares its name with the municipality of Weissensee on the northern and southern shore.


Geography

The western shore of the
glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...
is located near the Kreuzberg Saddle mountain pass of the Bundesstraße road from Greifenburg to Hermagor. A smaller mountain road runs from the Drava valley via Stockenboi to the eastern end. Despite its elevation of 930 mAA (3051 ft), the lake surface can reach 24 degrees Celsius in the summer months, while in winter the water freezes over completely and allows skaters to move freely on the ice. Due to its steep shore, the eastern part is almost uninhabited, with only a narrow path leading to the eastern end, where the area of the
Stockenboi Stockenboi ( sl, Štokboj) is a municipality in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area is situated in a valley of the Gailtal Alps, stretching from the Drava River up to Lake Weissensee. I ...
municipality reaches the lake. Here the ''Weißenbach'' creek runs down to the
Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...
Valley. Along the shore are banks of chalk originating from the surrounding mountains of the Southern Limestone Alps, which give the waters its characteristic colour and the Weissensee ("White Lake") its name. About two thirds of the lake's surface are part of a
protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
. Ship transport on the lake is provided by four vessels and a speed boat. Except for public transport, the operation of motor boats is prohibited. The waters of the lake reach drinking water quality. The area has much wildlife. It contains many different types of fish, especially trout,
common carp The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
, perch and northern pike. Also, there are many different birds, ranging from ducks to geese and herons.


Population

According to a 2001 survey, the Weissensee district had 788 inhabitants of which 97.2% had Austrian citizenship. 73.6% of those surveyed claimed to be members of the evangelical church, 22% claimed to be members of the Roman-Catholic church, and 1% were of Islamic faith. 3.4% claimed not to belong to a religious denomination.


Activities

Since 1989, in winter the lake is the site of the Dutch ''Alternatieve Elfstedentocht'' speed skating competition. Beside skating, ice stock sport and
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
around the Weissensee is quite popular. A smaller
alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
area is situated at the southern shore. In February 2007 the first underwater ice hockey world championship was held at the lake. In January 2011, an Austrian mountain aviator association landed about 30 small aircraft on the frozen surface. A prominent mountain spur at the northern shore, Ronacherfels, is named after a local peasant who died in the winter of 1916 while steering a sleigh on the frozen lake. Taking a shortcut home, he sledged over a thin patch of ice, fell through and died. His body was never found. In honour of his memory, the spur and a nearby inn were named after him. Parts of the 1987 James Bond film ''
The Living Daylights ''The Living Daylights'' is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's ...
'' were shot at frozen Weissensee.


Gallery

File:Weißensee - MS Weißensee.JPG, Passenger ship File:Weissensee Kärnten Techendorf 2013 07a.jpg, Western shore at Techendorf File:Weissensee-West.JPG, Weissensee western view from Techendorf bridge File:Weissensee-East.JPG, Weissensee eastern view from Techendorf bridge File:Weißensee_in_carinthia.jpg, Weissensee in winter File:Wedstrijd weissensee.jpg, Skaters File:Techendorf.jpg, Techendorf at Weissensee File:Weissensee.jpg, Weissensee, northern shore


External links


Information from the Carinthian Institute of Limnology
*
Weissensee protected area

Tourist site


{{commons-inline, Weißensee, Kärnten Lakes of Carinthia (state) Mountain lakes Glacial lakes Gailtal Alps