Lake Walen, also known as LakeWalenstadt orWalensee (German pronunciation:[ˈvaːln̩ˌzeː]^ⓘ), is one of the largerlakes inSwitzerland. Located in theeast of the country, about two thirds of its area are in thecanton ofSt. Gallen and about one third in the canton ofGlarus.

Walensee
Lake Walen Lake Walenstadt
Aerial view from the east
Walensee Show map of Canton of St. Gallen Walensee Show map of Canton of Glarus Walensee Show map of Switzerland Walensee Show map of Alps
Map
Location	St. Gallen,Glarus
Coordinates	47°7′N9°12′E / 47.117°N 9.200°E /47.117; 9.200
Primary inflows	Linth (Escherkanal),Seez,Murgbach
Primary outflows	Linth canal
Basin countries	Switzerland
Surface area	24.19 km2 (9.34 sq mi)
Average depth	104.7 m (344 ft)
Max. depth	151 m (495 ft)
Water volume	2.5 km3 (2,000,000 acre⋅ft)
Residence time	1.45 years
Surface elevation	419 m (1,375 ft)
Islands	Schnittlauchinsel
Settlements	Walenstadt,Weesen,Quinten,Quarten, Murg

Its name means 'Lake of theWalhaz' (German:See der Welschen), since in theearly Middle Ages Lake Walen formed the linguistic border between theAlemanni, who settled in the west, and theRomansh people, the Walhaz (Welschen), in the east.^[1]

The lake lies in a valley between theAppenzell Alps to the north and theGlarus Alps to the south. It has a long east-west extension but is relatively narrow in north-south direction, with a surface area of 24 km² (9.3 sq mi). It has a maximum depth of 151 m (495 ft).

The three maintributaries of the lake are theSeez,Murgbach andLinth. The latter continues its course from Walensee toObersee (Lake Zurich) through the Linth canal. Until theregulation of the Linth during the early 19th century, the Linth bypassed Walensee west of it and the lake's outflow was a river called the Maag, which merged with the Linth nearZiegelbrücke. TheSeerenbach Falls and Rinquelle are adjacent to the north of the lake. TheSchnittlauchinsel, near the eastern end of the lake, is the only island in the Walensee.

TheChurfirsten range raises steeply on the north side from the lake's level at 419 m (1,375 ft) to 2,306 m (7,566 ft) above sea level, joining theMattstock (1,936 m (6,352 ft)) andFederispitz (1,865 m (6,119 ft)) to the west. ThePaxmal near Walenstadt overlooks the lake. On the south, the lake is overlooked by theMürtschenstock Massif, whose peak is 2,441 m (8,009 ft) above sea level, and the resort areaFlumserberg. The highest point of the lake's drainage basin is theTödi (3,614 m (11,857 ft)).^[2]

Apart fromWalenstadt at the eastern end of the lake, other lakeside towns and villages areWeesen at the western end of the lake andMühlehorn andMols, Murg and Unterterzen south of the lake.Quinten, located on the northern shore of the lake, can only be reached on foot from Weesen or Walenstadt via ahiking trail^[3] or by boat (e.g. via a ferry from Murg) as there are no roads. Commercial passenger boats are operated byWalensee-Schifffahrt.^[4]

To the south, the lake is followed by theA3 motorway and theZiegelbrücke–Sargans railway line. There is also a continuousbike route along the southern shore.Unterterzen railway station is connected via agondola lift with Oberterzen and the resort areaFlumserberg.^[5]

The lake provided the inspiration for a solo piano piece byHungarian Romantic composerFranz Liszt,Au lac de Wallenstadt. The piece is part of a collection of solo piano works inspired by his travels toSwitzerland in the 1830s.

•  
  Walensee and Unterterzen,Quarten
•  
  Looking to the west towardsAmden
•  
  Escher canal (left), diverting the river Linth into Lake Walen, and theLinth canal (right), the present-day outflow of the lake
•  
  Commercial passenger boat
•  
  Weesen harbour
•  
  Schnittlauchinsel

• List of lakes in Switzerland

•   Media related toWalensee at Wikimedia Commons
• Waterlevels of Walensee at Murg
• Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911)."Walensee" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). p. 258.