View source for Walensee

{{Short description|Lake in Switzerland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox lake
| name               = Walensee
| other_name         = {{ubl|Lake Walen|Lake Walenstadt}}
| image              = Aerial image of the Walensee.jpg
| caption            = Aerial view from the east
| image_bathymetry   = Karte Walensee.png
| caption_bathymetry = Map
| location           = [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]], [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]]
| coords             = {{coord|47|7|N|9|12|E|type:waterbody_region:CH|display=inline,title}}
| type               = 
| inflow             = [[Linth]] ([[Escherkanal]]), [[Seez (river)|Seez]], [[Murgbach]]
| outflow            = [[Linth]] canal
| catchment          = 
| basin_countries    = Switzerland
| length             = 
| width              = 
| area               = {{convert|24.19|km2|abbr=on}}
| depth              = {{convert|104.7|m|abbr=on}}
| max-depth          = {{convert|151|m|abbr=on}}
| volume             = {{convert|2.5|km3|acre.ft|abbr=on}}
| residence_time     = 1.45 years
| shore              = 
| elevation          = {{convert|419|m|abbr=on}}
| islands            = [[Schnittlauchinsel]]
| cities             = [[Walenstadt]], [[Weesen, Switzerland|Weesen]], [[Quinten, Switzerland|Quinten]], [[Quarten]], Murg
| pushpin_map        = Canton of St. Gallen#Canton of Glarus#Switzerland#Alps
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 11
}}
The {{lang|de|'''Walensee'''}} ({{IPA|de|ˈvaːln̩ˌzeː|-|De-Walensee.ogg}}), also known as '''Lake Walen''' and '''Lake Walenstadt''' (after [[Walenstadt]]), is one of the larger [[lake]]s in [[Switzerland]]. Located in the [[Eastern Switzerland|east of the country]], about two thirds of its area are in the [[cantons of Switzerland|canton]] of [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]] and about one third in the canton of [[canton of Glarus|Glarus]].

Its name means 'Lake of the [[*Walhaz|Walhaz]]' ({{langx|de|See der Welschen}}), since in the [[early Middle Ages]] {{lang|de|Walensee}} formed the linguistic border between the [[Alemanni]], who settled in the west, and the [[Romansh people]], the Walhaz ({{lang|de|Welschen}}), in the east.<ref>{{cite book |last=Walch |first=Gertrud |title=Orts- und Flurnamen des Kantons St. Gallen. Bausteine zu einem Glarner Namenbuch |location=Schaffhausen |year=1996 |pages=266}}</ref>

==Geography==
The lake lies in a valley between the [[Appenzell Alps]] to the north and the [[Glarus Alps]] to the south. It has a long east-west extension but is relatively narrow in north-south direction, with a surface area of {{cvt|24|km2}}. It has a maximum depth of {{cvt|151|m}}.

The three main [[tributaries]] of the lake are the [[Seez (river)|Seez]], [[Murgbach]] and [[Linth]]. The latter continues its course from Walensee to [[Obersee (Lake Zurich)|Obersee]] ([[Lake Zurich]]) through the Linth canal. Until the [[Linth#River regulation of the Linth|regulation 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 near [[Ziegelbrücke]]. The [[Seerenbach Falls|Seerenbach Falls and Rinquelle]] are adjacent to the north of the lake. The [[Schnittlauchinsel]], near the eastern end of the lake, is the only island in the Walensee.

The [[Churfirsten]] range raises steeply on the north side from the lake's level at {{cvt|419|m}} to {{cvt|2,306|m}} above sea level, joining the [[Mattstock]] ({{cvt|1,936|m}}) and [[Federispitz]] ({{cvt|1,865|m}}) to the west. The [[Paxmal]] near Walenstadt overlooks the lake. On the south, the lake is overlooked by the [[Mürtschenstock]] Massif, whose peak is {{cvt|2,441|m}} above sea level, and the resort area [[Flumserberg]]. The highest point of the lake's drainage basin is the [[Tödi]] ({{cvt|3,614|m}}).<ref>{{cite map |publisher= [[Swisstopo]] |title= 1:25,000 topographic map |url= http://s.geo.admin.ch/9324aa0f5 |access-date= 2014-07-30 }}</ref>
{{wide image|Panorama flumserberg walensee.jpg|1000px|As seen from the [[Flumserberg]]||none}}

==Settlements and transportation==
Apart from [[Walenstadt]] at the eastern end of the lake, other lakeside towns and villages are [[Weesen, Switzerland|Weesen]] at the western end of the lake and [[Mühlehorn]] and [[Quarten|Mols, Murg and Unterterzen]] south of the lake. [[Quinten, Switzerland|Quinten]], located on the northern shore of the lake, can only be reached on foot from Weesen or Walenstadt via a [[trail|hiking trail]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amden-weesen.ch/en/poi/detail/weesen-walenstadt-8df50f991d |title=Weesen - Walenstadt hiking trail |publisher=amden-weesen.ch |access-date=2024-09-01}}</ref> or by boat (e.g. via a ferry from Murg) as there are no roads. Commercial passenger boats are operated by [[Schiffsbetrieb Walensee|Walensee-Schifffahrt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.walenseeschiff.ch/de/ |title=Experience the Swiss fjord |publisher=Walensee-Schifffahrt |access-date=2024-09-01}}</ref>

To the south, the lake is followed by the [[A3 (Switzerland)|A3 motorway]] and the [[Ziegelbrücke–Sargans railway line]], with stations at {{rws|Mühlehorn}}, {{rws|Murg}}, {{rws|Unterterzen}} and {{rws|Walenstadt}}. Unterterzen railway station is connected via a [[gondola lift]] with Oberterzen and the resort area [[Flumserberg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flumserberg.ch/Operating-hours |access-date=2024-09-01 |title=Opening hours on Flumserberg |publisher=flumserberg.ch}}</ref> There is also a continuous [[bike route]] ([[Swiss National Bike Routes|Route 9]]) along the southern shore, featuring a section through tunnels (former railway tunnels) at [[Kerenzerberg Pass|Kerenzerberg]].

==Arts==
The lake provided the inspiration for a solo piano piece by [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] Romantic composer [[Franz Liszt]], [[Années de pèlerinage|Au lac de Wallenstadt]]. The piece is part of a collection of solo piano works inspired by his travels to [[Switzerland]] in the 1830s.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Walensee Unterterzen-2.jpg|Walensee and Unterterzen, [[Quarten]]
Walensee, Switzerland.JPG|Looking to the west towards [[Amden]]
Amden Weesen Linthebene3.jpg|Escher canal (left), diverting the river Linth into {{lang|de|Walensee}}, and the [[Linth|Linth canal]] (right), the present-day outflow of the lake
Weesen 2011-07-31n.jpg|Commercial passenger boat
Thumb IMG 0392 1024 Jet d'eau du lac de Walenstadt à Weesen.jpg|[[Weesen, Switzerland|Weesen]] harbour
Schnittlauchinsel Walenstadt.jpg|[[Schnittlauchinsel]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of lakes in Switzerland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commonscat-inline|Walensee}}
*[http://www.hydrodaten.admin.ch/en/2118.html#aktuelle_daten Waterlevels of Walensee] at Murg
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Walensee | volume= 28 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge| page = 258 |short= 1}}

{{Lakes of Switzerland}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Walensee| ]]
[[Category:Lakes of Switzerland|Walen]]
[[Category:Lakes of the canton of Glarus]]
[[Category:Lakes of the canton of St. Gallen]]
[[Category:Linth/Limmat basin|LWalensee]]
[[Category:Glarus–St. Gallen border]]


{{StGallen-geo-stub}}
{{Glarus-geo-stub}}