Lake of Lucerne

Lake Lucerne Vierwaldstättersee
View of Lake Lucerne from the Pilatus
map
Location	Central Switzerland
Coordinates	47°01′10″N 8°24′04″E / 47.0194°N 8.4011°E / 47.0194; 8.4011Coordinates: 47°01′10″N 8°24′04″E / 47.0194°N 8.4011°E / 47.0194; 8.4011
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary  inflows	Reuss River Sarner Aa Engelberger Aa Muota
Primary  outflows	Reuss River
Catchment  area	2,124 km2 (820 sq mi)
Basin  countries	Switzerland
Max. length	30 km (19 mi)
Max. width	20 km (12 mi)
Surface area	113.6 km2 (43.9 sq mi)
Average depth	104 m (340 ft)
Max. depth	214 m (700 ft)
Water volume	11.8 km3 (9,600,000 acre·ft)
Residence time	3.4 years
Shore  length1	143.7 km (89.3 mi)
Surface  elevation	433 m (1,420 ft)
Frozen	in the 17th and 19th century; Lucerne Bay and Lake Alpnach in 1929 and 1963
Islands	Altstad-Insel
Sections/sub-basins	Urnersee Chrüztrichter Gersauerbecken Vitznauerbecken Küssnachtersee Alpnachersee Luzernersee
Settlements	Lucerne (see article)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Lucerne (German: Vierwaldstättersee, lit. "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons") is a lake in central Switzerland, the fourth largest in the country.

Background

The lake is a complicated shape, with bends and arms reaching from the city of Lucerne into the mountains. It has a total area of 114 km² (44 sq mi), an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft), and a maximum depth of 214 m (702 ft). Its volume is 11.8 km³. Much of the shoreline rises steeply into mountains up to 1,500 m above the lake, resulting in many picturesque views including those of Mount Rigi and Mount Pilatus.

It borders on the three original Swiss cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden (which today is divided into the Cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden), as well as the canton of Lucerne, thus the name. Many of the oldest communities of Switzerland are along the shore, including Küssnacht, Weggis, Vitznau, Gersau, Brunnen, Altdorf, Buochs, and Treib. In addition, the meadow of the Rütli, traditional site of the founding of the Swiss Confederation, is on the southeast shore of the lake.

The Reuss River enters the lake at Flüelen (in the canton of Uri, the part called Urnersee) and exits at Lucerne. The lake also receives the Muota (at Brunnen) Engelberger Aa (at Buochs), the Sarner Aa (at Alpnachstad).

It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by road, though the route is slow, twisted, and goes through tunnels part of the way. Dozens of steamers ply between the different towns on the lake. It is a popular tourist destination, both for native Swiss and foreigners, and there are many hotels and resorts along the shores.

Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata derives its name from an 1832 description of the first movement by music critic Ludwig Rellstab, who compared it to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.

A 35km commemorative walkway, the Swiss Path, was built around the lake to celebrate the country's 700th anniversary.

The level of the lake is maintained by a pioneering needle dam in the Reuss River in Lucerne, just upstream from the Spreuerbrücke.

The lake's surface is the lowest point of the cantons of Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden.

Settlements

¹ At the entry of the Reuss River: the western, later southern shore.

View from the Rigi toward Lucerne

View toward Uri

View from Weggis

Steamers on the lake

References

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lake Lucerne

• Waterlevels Lake Lucerne at Brunnen
• Waterlevels Lake Lucerne at Lucerne
• Lake Lucerne Region

v • d • e Major Lakes of Switzerland Lake Biel (Lac de Bienne, Bielersee) · Lake Brienz (Brienzersee) · Lake Constance (Bodensee) · Lake Geneva (Lac Léman, Lac de Genève) · Lake Hallwil (Hallwilersee) · Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) · Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano, Ceresio) · Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) · Lake Murten (Lac de Morat, Murtensee) · Lake Neuchâtel (Lac de Neuchâtel, Neuenburgersee) · Lake Sempach (Sempachersee) · Lake Thun (Thunersee) · Lake Walen (Walensee, Lake Walenstadt) · Lake Zug (Zugersee) · Lake Zurich (Zürichsee) · Sihlsee