Lake Brienz
Encyclopedia
Lake Brienz is a lake
just north of the Alps
, in the Canton of Berne
in Switzerland
. The lake took its name from the village Brienz
on its northern shore. Interlaken
and the villages Matten and Unterseen
lie to the south west of the lake. The shores are steep, and there is almost no shallow water in the entire lake.
Lake Brienz is the first lake in which river Aar expands. When it leaves Lake Brienz, it soon joins Lake Thun
.
The lake lies in a deep hollow between the village of Brienz on the east and, on the west, Bönigen
, close to Interlaken. Its length is about 14 kilometers, its width 2.8 kilometers, and its maximum depth 260 meters, while its area is 29.8 square kilometers, and the surface is 564 metres (1,850 ft) above the sea-level. On the south shore are the Giessbach Falls and the hamlet of Iseltwald
. On the north shore are a few small villages.
The character of the lake is different to its neighbour, that of Thun
. Its chief affluent is the Lütschine
(flowing from the valleys of Grindelwald
and Lauterbrunnen
).
The lake is poor in nutritients, and consequently fishing is not very important. Nevertheless, in 2001 10,000 kg fish were caught. There have been passenger ships on the lake since 1839. The ships are operated by BLS Lötschbergbahn, the local railway company. There are five passenger ships on the lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
just north of the Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
, in the Canton of Berne
Canton of Berne
The Canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The lake took its name from the village Brienz
Brienz
Brienz is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The village lies on the north bank of Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain.-History:...
on its northern shore. Interlaken
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
and the villages Matten and Unterseen
Unterseen
Unterseen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is the highest town on the Aare, in the Bödeli watershed, between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz...
lie to the south west of the lake. The shores are steep, and there is almost no shallow water in the entire lake.
Lake Brienz is the first lake in which river Aar expands. When it leaves Lake Brienz, it soon joins Lake Thun
Lake Thun
Lake Thun is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It took its name from the city of Thun, on its northern shore.Lake Thun's approximately 2,500 km² large catchment area frequently causes local flooding after heavy rainfalls...
.
The lake lies in a deep hollow between the village of Brienz on the east and, on the west, Bönigen
Bönigen
Bönigen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The name Bönigen is composed of the Old High German personal name Bono and the toponymic suffix -ingun.Bönigen belongs to the church parish of Gsteig bei Interlaken, which includes...
, close to Interlaken. Its length is about 14 kilometers, its width 2.8 kilometers, and its maximum depth 260 meters, while its area is 29.8 square kilometers, and the surface is 564 metres (1,850 ft) above the sea-level. On the south shore are the Giessbach Falls and the hamlet of Iseltwald
Iseltwald
Iseltwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:The village lies on a delta at the south bank of Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland. It is from Interlaken, the road mostly running along Lake Brienz...
. On the north shore are a few small villages.
The character of the lake is different to its neighbour, that of Thun
Thun
Thun is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants , as of 1 January 2006....
. Its chief affluent is the Lütschine
Lütschine
The Lütschine is a river in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.It flows from Zweilütschinen, where its two tributaries join, on a length of 8.6 km through the Bödeli and into Lake Brienz at Bönigen....
(flowing from the valleys of Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
and Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The municipality lies in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and comprises the villages Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg and Isenfluh...
).
The lake is poor in nutritients, and consequently fishing is not very important. Nevertheless, in 2001 10,000 kg fish were caught. There have been passenger ships on the lake since 1839. The ships are operated by BLS Lötschbergbahn, the local railway company. There are five passenger ships on the lake.
External links
- Lake Brienz Tourism Portal
- BLS Lakes Thun and Brienz Shipping Company
- Ökosystem Brienzersee interdisciplinary study of the ecosystem
- Data on the lakes in the canton of Berne
- Waterlevels at Ringgenberg from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment