Lake Starnberg
Encyclopedia
Lake Starnberg 25 kilometers southwest of Munich
in southern Bavaria
, is Germany
's fifth largest freshwater lake and, due to its large average depth, the second richest in water. It is also a popular recreation area for the nearby city of Munich and since 1976, one of the wetlands of international importance protected by the Ramsar Convention
.
The small town of Berg, Upper Bavaria
near Starnberg, is famous as the site where King Ludwig II of Bavaria
was found dead in the lake in 1886. The lake is also known as Royal Lake. The lake is also cited in T. S. Eliot
's poem The Waste Land
.
glacier
s from the Alps
, extends 21 km (13 mi) from north to south and has a width of 3-5 km (2-3.5 miles) from east to west. It has a single, small island, the Roseninsel, and a single outlet, the Würm
river (because of this river the lake was called the Würmsee until 1962). Its major inflow comes from a chain of small lakes in the south, Osterseen
. This small river is called Ach or Ostersee-Ach. The lake's water is of excellent quality due to a circular sewerage system being introduced in the 1960s, collecting all wastewater from around the lake and transporting it to a treatment plant below the lake's outlet at Starnberg.
It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by cycle. Passenger services have operated on the lake since 1851. Today they are operated by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
company, using modern motor ships.
(1314-1347). The name is derived from the river Wirmer (now Würm) which flows along Starnbergs as the single river from the lake. In the 19th century the spelling of the two was changed to Würm Würmsee. Only in 1962 the name of the lake became officially Lake Starnberger, term which began to prevail from the end of the 19th century. The construction of a railway line by the lake from the former Starnberger wing station in Munich led to a large number of new cities and it soon became a tourist destination.
Towns by the lake include Starnberg
in the north, Seeshaupt
in the south, and Tutzing
in the west. The following communities also have been part of the lake (clockwise from north):
Before the western shore, south of Possenhofen, is the small island Roseninsel, or Rose Island
, the site of a royal villa of Ludwig II.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in southern Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, is Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's fifth largest freshwater lake and, due to its large average depth, the second richest in water. It is also a popular recreation area for the nearby city of Munich and since 1976, one of the wetlands of international importance protected by the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
The small town of Berg, Upper Bavaria
Berg, Upper Bavaria
Berg is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany.It is most famous for the royal Castle Berg....
near Starnberg, is famous as the site where King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
was found dead in the lake in 1886. The lake is also known as Royal Lake. The lake is also cited in T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's poem The Waste Land
The Waste Land
The Waste Land[A] is a 434-line[B] modernist poem by T. S. Eliot published in 1922. It has been called "one of the most important poems of the 20th century." Despite the poem's obscurity—its shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its...
.
Overview
The lake, which was created by ice ageIce age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s from the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, extends 21 km (13 mi) from north to south and has a width of 3-5 km (2-3.5 miles) from east to west. It has a single, small island, the Roseninsel, and a single outlet, the Würm
Würm
The Würm is a river in Bavaria, Germany, right tributary of the Amper. It drains the overflow from Lake Starnberg and flows swiftly through the villages of Gauting, Krailling, Planegg, Gräfelfing and Lochham as well as part of Munich before joining, near Dachau, the Amper, which soon afterwards...
river (because of this river the lake was called the Würmsee until 1962). Its major inflow comes from a chain of small lakes in the south, Osterseen
Osterseen
Osterseen is a group of lakes in Bavaria, Germany. At an elevation of 588 m, its surface area is 223.55 ha.- External links :...
. This small river is called Ach or Ostersee-Ach. The lake's water is of excellent quality due to a circular sewerage system being introduced in the 1960s, collecting all wastewater from around the lake and transporting it to a treatment plant below the lake's outlet at Starnberg.
It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by cycle. Passenger services have operated on the lake since 1851. Today they are operated by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
The Bayerische Seenschifffahrt GmbH, or Bavarian Lakes Shipping Company, is a company that operates shipping services on several lakes in the German state of Bavaria...
company, using modern motor ships.
Name
The earliest mentions of the lake as Würmsee Uuirmseo appears in an 818 document which refers to Holzhausen on Würmsee. Later it was Wirmsee at an early source of the reign of Emperor Ludwig of BavariaLudwig of Bavaria
-Dukes:*Louis I, Duke of Bavaria , Duke of Bavaria in 1183 and the Count of Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. He was a son of Otto I*Louis II, Duke of Bavaria , Duke of Bavaria from 1253 and Count Palatine of the Rhine....
(1314-1347). The name is derived from the river Wirmer (now Würm) which flows along Starnbergs as the single river from the lake. In the 19th century the spelling of the two was changed to Würm Würmsee. Only in 1962 the name of the lake became officially Lake Starnberger, term which began to prevail from the end of the 19th century. The construction of a railway line by the lake from the former Starnberger wing station in Munich led to a large number of new cities and it soon became a tourist destination.
Location
Starnberg
The city of Starnberg is in Bavaria, Germany, some 30 km south-west of Munich. It lies at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the district of Starnberg...
in the north, Seeshaupt
Seeshaupt
Seeshaupt is a municipality in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany....
in the south, and Tutzing
Tutzing
Tutzing is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany and is situated on the west bank of the Starnberger See south of Munich...
in the west. The following communities also have been part of the lake (clockwise from north):
- Starnberg (North, StarnbergStarnberg (district)Starnberg is a Kreis in the southern part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Fürstenfeldbruck, Munich, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Weilheim-Schongau and Landsberg....
) - Berg (North East, Starnberg) with the districts Kempfenhausen, Berg and Leoni
- MünsingMünsingMünsing is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....
(southeast district of Bad Tölz-WolfratshausenBad Tölz-WolfratshausenBad Tölz-Wolfratshausen is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by Austria and the districts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Weilheim-Schongau, Starnberg, Munich and Miesbach.- History :...
) with the districts Ammerland, Ambach, Pischetsrieder, St. Heinrich - Seeshaupt (South, Weilheim-SchongauWeilheim-SchongauWeilheim-Schongau is a Kreis in the south of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Landsberg, Starnberg, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Ostallgäu.-Geography:...
) and the district Seeseiten - BernriedBernriedBernried is a municipality in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany....
(Southwest, Weilheim-Schongau) - Tutzing (West, Starnberg) and the district Unterzeismering
- FeldafingFeldafingFeldafing is a municipality in Starnberg district, Bavaria, Germany, and is located on the west shore of Lake Starnberg, southwest of Munich.- History :...
(North West district of Starnberg) and the district Garatshausen - PöckingPöckingPöcking is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, consort of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, grew up here in the Possenhofen Castle as daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Otto von Habsburg, Crown...
(North West district of Starnberg) with the districts Possenhofen and Niederpöcking
Before the western shore, south of Possenhofen, is the small island Roseninsel, or Rose Island
Rose Island (Lake Starnberg)
Rose Island in Lake Starnberg is the only island in the lake and site of a royal villa of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He was particularly attached to this place and made frequent renovations and remodelings of the small garden and the villa, which is called casino...
, the site of a royal villa of Ludwig II.