| Lake Starnberg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aerial view of Lake Starnberg from the south | |
  Lake Starnberg  Lake Starnberg | |
| Location | Bavaria |
| Coordinates | 47°54′14″N11°18′26″E / 47.90389°N 11.30722°E /47.90389; 11.30722 |
| Type | Natural lake |
| Primary inflows | Steinbach or Ostersee-Ach |
| Primary outflows | Würm |
| Catchment area | 314 km2 (121 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Germany |
| Max. length | 19.45 km (12.09 mi) |
| Surface area | 56.36 km2 (21.76 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 127.8 m (419 ft) |
| Water volume | 2,998×10 |
| Residence time | 21 years |
| Surface elevation | 596 m (1,955 ft) |
| Islands | Roseninsel |
| Settlements | Starnberg,Ammerland,Seeshaupt,Tutzing,Feldafing,Possenhofen |
| Official name | Starnberger See |
| Designated | 26 February 1976 |
| Reference no. | 94[1] |
Lake Starnberg, orStarnberger See[ˈʃtaʁnbɛʁɡɐˌzeː]ⓘ) — calledLake Würm orWürmsee ([ˈvʏʁmˌzeː]ⓘ) until 1962 — isGermany's fifth-largestlake by area, however, because of its great depth, it is the second-largest body of fresh water.[2] It and its surroundings lie in three different Bavarian districts, orLandkreise. The lake is property of the state and accordingly managed by theBavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.
Located in southernBavaria 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest ofMunich, Lake Starnberg is a popular recreation area for the city and, since 1976, one of the wetlands of international importance protected by theRamsar Convention. The small town ofBerg is famous as the site whereKing Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in the lake in 1886. Because of its associations with theWittelsbach royal family, the lake is also known as Fürstensee (Prince's Lake). It is also mentioned inT. S. Eliot's poemThe Waste Land.
The lake, lying in azungenbecken or glacial hollow, was created byice ageglaciers from theAlps, and extends 19.45 km (12.09 mi) from north to south and has a width of 3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) from east to west. It has a single small island, theRoseninsel, and a single outlet, theWürm river (because of this river the lake was called theWürmsee until 1962). Its major inflow comes from a small river called the Steinbach or Ostersee-Ach, which flows through a chain of small lakes to the south, theOsterseen. The lake's water is of excellent quality due to the introduction in the 1960s of a circular sewerage system which collects wastewater from the settlements around the lake and transports it to a treatment plant below the lake's outlet atStarnberg. Bronze fish-hooks and adugout dating to the 9th or 8th century BCE have been discovered at the lake, and there are still some professionalfishers, most of them continuing a family tradition.
Hikers and cyclists can circumnavigate the lake using a path approximately 49 kilometres (30 mi) long. Access to the lake shore is not possible everywhere, since it is mostly private property. Passenger ferries and excursion ships have operated on the lake since 1851. Today they are operated by theBayerische Seenschifffahrt company, using modern diesel-engined ships.[3][4]
The earliest surviving mention of the lake, asUuirmseo, is in an 818 document referring to Holzhausen, now part ofMünsing.[5] This name becameWirmsee, already recorded during the reign of theHoly Roman EmperorLouis the Bavarian (1314–1347).[6] This name is derived from the Wirm, now speltWürm, the only river which flows out of the lake, at Starnberg; in the 19th century, the spellings were changed to Würm and Würmsee.
In the late 19th century, a railway connection between Munich and Starnberg made the lake an accessible destination for trips from the city. Trains departed from a wing of theMunich Central Station which was known as the 'Starnberg branch station' (Starnberger Flügelbahnhof) and the lake came increasingly to be known as Lake Starnberg; its name was finally officially changed in 1962.
Clockwise from the north, the following settlements about the lake:
Off the western shore, south of Possenhofen, is the smallRoseninsel (Rose Island), the site of a royal villa ofLudwig II.
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