A stroll across the Zwergern peninsula at Lake Walchensee

Lake Walchensee lies at an altitude of 800 m in the Bavarian Prealps and is, for me, one of the most beautiful Bavarian lakes. At 192 metres, it is also the deepest lake in Bavaria and, with a surface area of 16 square kilometres, the largest mountain lake in the German Alps. It owes its often turquoise-green colour to the limestone dissolved in the water. It is completely surrounded by mountain forests and mountain ranges and, on sunny days, treats visitors to a Mediterranean flair that is quite unique for the Northern Alps – which is why it is also marketed as the Bavarian Caribbean.

Natural shorelines, the ban on motorboats, its clear water and the picturesque Alpine panoramas make the region around Lake Walchensee an attraction for numerous outdoor activities on, in and by the water: fishing, swimming, diving, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, cycling, hiking and much more. On fine days, it therefore attracts a seemingly endless caravan of vehicles up the Kesselbergstrasse from Lake Kochelsee and the Loisach Valley, 200 m below. Further guests flock from Mittenwald, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the toll road from Hinterriß. Lake Kochelsee and Lake Walchensee are also directly connected to each other via a tunnel for generating hydroelectric power.

The Zwergern peninsula juts into Lake Walchensee from the west. Set against the panorama of Herzogstand and Jochberg and framed by old, individually impressive tree personalities, a small church stands on the shore of the peninsula’s headland. It was built in the 14th century. The current architecture dates largely from the Baroque-style renovation in the 18th century. The best view of the two lakes can be had from the Herzogstand, which can be easily hiked with or without the help of the cable car. Things are a bit quieter on the Simetsberg, which offers an equally wide panorama over the Ester Mountains, the Ammergau Alps, Wetterstein and Karwendel.