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15-611: Situated within the Berchtesgaden Alps in the municipality of Schönau am Königsee , just south of Berchtesgaden and the Austrian city of Salzburg , the Königssee is Germany's third deepest lake. Located at a Jurassic rift , it was formed by glaciers during the last ice age . It stretches about 7.7 km (4.8 mi) in a north-south direction and is about 1.7 km (1 mi) across at its widest point. Except at its outlet,

30-657: A residence Heinrich Himmler had built at Schönau for his mistress Hedwig Potthast . The lake is noted for its clear water and is advertised as the cleanest lake in Germany. For this reason, only electric-powered passenger ships , rowing, and pedal boats have been permitted on the lake since 1909. Passenger services along the length of the lake are operated by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt company and call at Seelände (Schönau), St. Bartholomä, Salet (mid-April to mid-October), and Kessel (on request). In ideal conditions,

45-752: The Berchtesgaden National Park established in 1978. The range also comprises glaciers like the Blaueis as well as the Steinernes Meer high karst plateau. The most important summits of the Berchtesgaden Alps are (groups in order of height): The Berchtesgaden Alps border on the following other mountain groups of the Alps: The Berchtesgaden Alps are included under this name in the generally accepted Alpine Club classification of

60-829: The Wienerwald at the city-limits of Vienna in the east. The highest peaks in the Northern Limestone Alps are the Parseierspitze (3,036 metres (9,961 ft)) in the Lechtal Alps , and the Hoher Dachstein (2,996 metres (9,829 ft)). Other notable peaks in this range include the Zugspitze , (2,962 metres (9,718 ft)), located on the German-Austrian frontier and listed as the highest peak in Germany. Ranges of

75-783: The Eastern Alps (AVE) as mountain group no. 10 and counted as part of the Northern Limestone Alps . Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps ( German : Nördliche Kalkalpen ), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps , are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany . The distinction from

90-446: The Königssee, separated by the Salet moraine , is the smaller Obersee lake with the 470 m (1,540 ft) high Röthbach waterfall . Because there is no lakeside path on the steep shore of the Königssee, St. Bartholomä and the southern edge can only be reached by boat, or via hiking trails up the surrounding mountains, except during harsh winters when the lake freezes over. Stepping on

105-507: The Königsseer Ache at the village of Königssee, the lake is similar to a fjord , being surrounded by the steeply-rising flanks of mountains up to 2,700 m (8,900 ft), including the Watzmann massif in the west. The literal translation of the name, Königssee, appears to be "king's lake"; however while German : König does indeed mean "king", there had been no Bavarian kings since

120-461: The best known peak is the Watzmann massif, the third-highest mountain of Germany at 2,713 metres (8,901 ft). The range also comprises the Obersalzberg slope east of Berchtesgaden, known for the former Berghof residence of Adolf Hitler . The picturesque heart is formed by the glacial Königssee lake with the famous St. Bartholomew's pilgrimage church and the smaller Obersee , both part of

135-635: The centre. It is crossed by the Austria–Germany border : the central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Land district of southeastern Bavaria , Germany , while the adjacent area in the north, east and south is part of the Austrian state of Salzburg ( Salzburger Land ). While the highest mountain of the Berchtesgaden Alps is the Hochkönig (2,941 metres (9,649 ft)) located in the Austrian part,

150-520: The days of Louis the German (d. 876) until Elector Maximilian I Joseph assumed the royal title in 1806. Therefore, the name more probably stems from the first name Kuno of local nobles, who appear in several historical sources referring to the donation of the Berchtesgaden Provostry in the twelfth century; the lake was formerly called Kunigsee . The Königssee Railway ( Königsseebahn ) served

165-418: The echo. Previously demonstrated by shooting a cannon, the echo can be heard to reverberate up to seven times. The trumpeter plays along with the echo, so that there can seem to be as many as seven players. St. Bartholomä , a famous pilgrimage church with an inn nearby, is located on a peninsula about halfway down the western lake shore. The small Christlieger island is located near its northern end. South of

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180-547: The ice, however, can be fatal, as it was for a motorist who drowned in his Volkswagen Beetle on the way back from St. Bartholomä in January 1964. The car was found only in 1997 at a depth of about 100 m (330 ft). Berchtesgaden Alps The Berchtesgaden Alps ( German : Berchtesgadener Alpen ) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps , named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in

195-632: The lake from 1909 until 1965. Its last tracks were dismantled during 1971, and the former station of the Königssee Railway in Berchtesgaden (Königsseer Bahnhof) was demolished in 2012. The only remaining element of the railway is the Königsee station, which is now a restaurant. The track route is mostly used as a walking path. In 1944, a sub-camp of the Dachau concentration camp was built nearby, located near

210-596: The latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition. If viewed on a west–east axis, the Northern Limestone Alps extend from the Rhine valley and the Bregenz Forest in Vorarlberg , Austria in the west extending along the border between the German federal-state of Bavaria and Austrian Tyrol , through Salzburg , Upper Austria , Styria and Lower Austria and finally ending at

225-412: The longest tour takes two hours from Seelände to Salet. Swimming is permitted except in the lock area at Seelände. Due to its picturesque setting, the lake and surrounding parklands are very popular with tourists and hikers. In addition, the surrounding sheer rock walls create an echo known for its clarity. On boat tours, it has become traditional to stop and play a flugelhorn or trumpet to demonstrate

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