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| Untersee | |
|---|---|
 View from an aeroplane aboveRickenbach (CH) of the Untersee and the island ofReichenau (D) withLake Überlingen (D), the northwestern part of theObersee (D/CH/A) behind. | |
  Untersee  Untersee  Untersee  Untersee  Untersee  Untersee | |
| Location | –Baden-Württemberg (Germany) – Cantons ofThurgau andSchaffhausen (Switzerland) |
| Coordinates | 47°41′42″N9°1′28″E / 47.69500°N 9.02444°E /47.69500; 9.02444 |
| Primary inflows | Seerhein,Radolfzeller Aach and smaller streams |
| Primary outflows | High Rhine |
| Surface area | 62 square kilometres (24 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 13 metres (43 ft)[1] |
| Max. depth | 45 metres (148 ft)[2] |
| Water volume | 0.8 cubic kilometres (0.19 cu mi)[1] |
| Shore length1 | 87 kilometres (54 mi)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 395.11 metres (1,296.3 ft)[1] |
| Islands | Reichenau, theWerd islands |
| Settlements | Radolfzell am Bodensee |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Untersee | |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
TheUntersee (German pronunciation:[ˈʊntɐzeː],lit. 'Lower Lake'), also known asLower Lake Constance, is the smaller of the twolakes that together formLake Constance. The boundary betweenSwitzerland andGermany runs through it. The lake surrounds several islands, the largest beingReichenau Island.
The Lower Lake Constance measures 63 km2 (24 sq mi) and is situated about 30 cm (12 in) lower than theObersee. TheRomans called itLacus Acronius. In the Middle Ages, the Upper Lake was calledBodamicus Lacus, orBodensee in German.[citation needed] At some point in time, this term began to include the Lower Lake, and a new term "Upper Lake" (in German:Obersee), was introduced for the larger lake.[dubious –discuss]
The main tributaries are theSeerhein andRadolfzeller Aach. The source of the latter is theAachtopf, akarst spring whose waters mainly derive from theDanube Sinkhole, making theDanube indirectly a tributary ofUntersee and the Rhine, respectively.
The landscape surrounding the Untersee is very diverse. The Untersee contains two islands:Reichenau andWerd (near the transition to theHigh Rhine). In the northeast is the peninsulaBodanrück; in the northwest, theHegau lowlands with the peninsulaMettnau; in the west, the peninsulaHöri, with a mountain calledSchiener Berg, and in the south, theSeerücken, which reaches more than 90 m (300 ft) feet above the Untersee nearBerlingen.
Bordering the Lower Lake Constance are theSwiss cantons ofThurgau andSchaffhausen and theGerman state ofBaden-Württemberg. In contrast to theUpper Lake, the border between Germany and Switzerland across the Lower Lake is well defined. Municipalities on the Swiss side areGottlieben,Ermatingen,Salenstein,Berlingen,Steckborn,Mammern,Eschenz andStein am Rhein. Municipalities on the German side areÖhningen,Gaienhofen,Moos am Bodensee,Radolfzell,Reichenau,Allensbach andConstance.
Three parts in the north of Lower Lake, surrounded by German territory, have names of their own:Zeller See (lit. 'Lake of Radolfzell'),Gnadensee (lit. 'Lake Mercy') andMarkelfinger Winkel (lit. 'nook of Markelfingen'). The part in the south, which borders Switzerland, is calledRheinsee (lit. 'Rhine Lake').
TheZeller See is the part between theMettnau peninsula in the north, theHöri peninsula in the south and theIsland of Reichenau in the east. To the west lies the estuary of theRadolfzeller Aach and theHegau. In the east, there is a small island calledLiebesinsel (lit. 'Love Island') close to the Mettnau peninsula.
TheGnadensee extends fromAllensbach in the north and the Island of Reichenau in the south, from the tip of Mettnau in the west to the Reichenaucauseway with its well-visiblepoplar avenue in the east. According to legend, the nameGnade (English:Mercy or Grace) of the lake comes from the time when thecourt house was located on the Island of Reichenau. If a defendant was sentenced to death, the execution of the sentence could not be carried out on the island, but only on the mainland because the island was "holy ground". Therefore, the condemned man was brought by boat to the mainland in the direction of Allensbach, where the sentence could beGnade. Now, if the abbot wanted to pardon the condemned, he would ring a bell before the offender arrived on the other shore. This signaled to the executioner on the mainland, that prisoner had been pardoned. However, this story is unlikely to be true. A more probable theory is that the lake is named after Maria, "Our Lady of Mercy", as the church of the abbey on the island was dedicated to St. Mary and St. Mark.[3] The town nameFrauenfeld in neighbouringcanton of Thurgau can be similarly explained.[citation needed]
TheMarkelfingen Winkel is the western end of the Gnadensee, between Markelfingen in the north, Radolfzell in the west and the Mettnau peninsula in the south.[4] Its eastern boundary is at the level of the summitMettnauspitze. With its maximum water depth of 16 m, the Markelfingen Winkel is the shallowest part of the lake. It has a tributary: the Mühlbach, which drains theMindelsee.
The mainly Swiss section of the lake south of the Island of Reichenau and its southwestern arm is known asRheinsee (lit. 'Lake Rhine'), not to be confused withSeerhein (lit. 'Rhine of the lake(s)'), which is the Upper and Lower Lakes connecting segment of the river Rhine). It is called theSeerhein because the current of the river follows exactly this path through the lake to the effluent of Lower Lake Constance in the Swiss town ofStein am Rhein, where theHigh Rhine starts. At the end of the lake, there are three small islands, called theWerd Islands. Where theSeerhein flows into theRheinsee there is the island ofTriboldingerbohl. There used to be another island calledEntlibühl. The nature reserveWollmatinger Ried is also located in this area. Theborder between Germany and Switzerland followsRheinsee in east-west direction.[5]
TheSchweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein (URh) offers regular boat trips on theUntersee andHigh Rhine between spring and autumn. The southern shore of Untersee is followed by theLake Line and the eastern shore by theHigh Rhine Railway line, with several railway stations near the lake shore.
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