| Wörthersee Lake Wörth | |
|---|---|
 Wörthersee near Pörtschach | |
  Wörthersee Lake Wörth | |
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| Location | Carinthia |
| Coordinates | 46°37′30″N14°09′00″E / 46.62500°N 14.15000°E /46.62500; 14.15000 |
| Primary inflows | Reifnitzbach, Pirkerbach |
| Primary outflows | Glanfurt |
| Catchment area | 162.23 km2 (62.64 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Austria |
| Max. length | 16.5 km (10.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 19.39 km2 (7.49 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 42.1 m (138 ft) |
| Max. depth | 85.2 m (280 ft) |
| Residence time | 10.5 years |
| Surface elevation | 439 m (1,440 ft) |
| Islands | Schlangeninsel, Kapuzinerinsel |
| Settlements | Klagenfurt,Velden,Pörtschach,Krumpendorf,Maria Wörth |
Wörthersee (German pronunciation:[ˈvœʁtɐˌzeː]ⓘ;Slovene:Vrbsko jezero, English:Lake Wörth[1][2][3]) is a lake in the southernAustrianstate ofCarinthia. Thebathing lake is a maintourist destination in summer.
Wörthersee is Carinthia's largest lake. It is elongated, about 16.5 km (10.3 mi) long and 1.5 km (0.93 mi) wide, and stretches from the outskirts of the Carinthian capitalKlagenfurt in the east to the bay ofVelden in the west. Situated within the Klagenfurt Basin, its shores are flanked to the north and south by the foothills of theGurktal Alps and theKarawanks range, all covered with dense forests beyond which snow-capped Alpine peaks are visible. The lake's water is of a distinctive blue-green colour and transparent.
Lake Wörth and its basin in the central Carinthian foothills were largely formed byglaciers during the lastice age. The lake is divided into three basins by several islands and peninsulas. The western basin stretches from Velden toPörtschach, the central basin from Pörtschach toMaria Wörth and the eastern basin from Maria Wörth to Klagenfurt. Numerous brooks flow into the lake; its sole outlet is theGlanfurt river in the east, eventually flowing into theDrava (Drau) river via theGlan andGurk tributaries.
The northern shore is densely built up with the mainresort towns ofKrumpendorf, Pörtschach, and Velden. TheSüd Autobahn motorway and a railway mainline occupy the narrow space between the steep hills and the shore. The southern shore is quieter and less developed.
The water surface (epilimnion) can reach up to 25 °C in summer. In winter, the region is often covered by snow and approximately every 10 years the lake freezes over, attracting numerous ice skaters. Lake Wörth's fauna is dominated by fish typically found in alpine lakes. The most common species are thepike (Esox lucius) and thecommon whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus).
First mentioned asWerdse in an 1143 deed, the lake's name originates from the islands in the lake, most notably Maria Wörth, a peninsula since the building of the Glanfurt outlet in 1770. Other islands are Schlangeninsel and Kapuzinerinsel; the former island of Maria Loretto is today also a peninsula. Until the 19th century the lake was called "Werdersee" (cf.Old High Germanweride: "island" or "ait"), i.e. "Island Lake", but also Klagenfurt Lake or Velden Lake (as in Slovene:Vrbsko jezero).
In the early 19th century the marshy shores were home only to a handful of poor peasants. The opening of theAustrian Southern Railway line (Südbahn) to Klagenfurt in 1863, later extended toVillach along the northern shore, quickly turned the Wörthersee into an exclusive summer retreat forVienna's nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie. Especially Velden and Pörtschach developed to main tourist resorts.
Up to today, the Mediterranean climate and the clean, warm waters make Lake Wörth a popular tourist destination in summer. Although the region around the lake has been termed "Austria's Monte Carlo", in recent decades tourism around Lake Wörthersee has suffered from tough competition frompackage holidays to cheaper overseas destinations. As a response a number of local businesses have tried to focus on niches such as high quality tourism, family tourism or golf and horse-riding vacations.
Most tourists visit the Lake in the months of July and August when water temperatures reach 25 °C. A large proportion of visitors return every summer and some own or rent holiday homes along the shore. The vast majority of visitors come from Vienna, northernGermany and theNetherlands.
The largestVolkswagen andAudi car show in Europe, theWörthersee GTI-Treffen (in English, "Wörthersee Meeting" or simply "Wörthersee"), has been held in the lakeside town of Reifnitz (usually in May) every year from 1982 to 2021 (the 2022 event was cancelled due to the organisational problems). The municipality have announced in February 2023 that noGTI-Treffen would be permitted anymore.[4][5] The organisers issued the statement: "the effects of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers for the preservation of ecosystems, and the need to align actions at all levels according to the principles of sustainability make it necessary to place the future design under new premises. On the basis of these considerations, we can state the municipality of Maria Worth will no longer host any conventional major automotive events in the next few years."[6]
TheA2 Süd Autobahn motorway (European Route E66) from Vienna to Italy passes along the northern side of the lake, as does theB83 Kärntner Straße highway connecting Klagenfurt with Villach and theSüdbahn railway line fromVienna toVenice. There is also a cycle path along the northern shore. In summer, passenger boats connect the largest settlements. The number of privatespeedboats is strictly limited by a quota system to limit the environmental damage and hazard to swimmers.
Media related toWörthersee at Wikimedia Commons
Wörthersee travel guide from Wikivoyage
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