Lake Wörthersee is the largest lake in Carinthia and a popular destination for bathers, water sports enthusiasts and nature lovers. Surrounded by charming places such as Velden, Pörtschach and Klagenfurt, the lake offers clear water, many lidos and an impressive Alpine backdrop. In summer, Lake Wörthersee attracts visitors with warm weather and a variety of leisure activities such as sailing, cycling and hiking.
The Wörthersee, occasionally also Lake Wörth is the largest lake in Carinthia and at the same time due to its climatic location one of the warmest Alpine lakes and can reach over 25 °C. Accordingly, there are several beach resorts
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The Wörthersee is 19.39 km² in size and stretches 16.5 km from east to west. The lake basin stretches from Velden Bay to KlagenfurtThe lake is divided into three basins by islands, peninsulas and submarine sills. The western basin extends from Velden until Pörtschach, the middle of Pörtschach until Maria Wörth, and the eastern stretches from Maria Wörth until KlagenfurtThe deepest point of Lake Wörthersee is 85.2 m.
Lake Wörthersee is fed by a number of smaller streams, including the Reifnitzbach. The outflow in the east of the lake drains the lake via the Glan and Gurk into the Drava.
Due to the wind-protected location and the low water flow, the upper water layer can reach temperatures of over 25 °C. A solid ice cover only forms in extremely cold winters. The last time Lake Wörthersee froze over completely was in February 2006, and it was possible to skate on a track of around 15 km.
In the middle part of the lake between Maria Wörth and Pörtschach There were originally three islands, of which the island on which the parish and former collegiate church of St. Primus and Felician was built around 1770 became the peninsula of the town centre of Maria Wörth The other two islands are the Capuchin Island near Unterdellach and the Flower Island (formerly Snake Island), which got its former name not from the snakes living there, but because of its shape. The Snake Island was considered to be part of the Pörtschach beach, which was renamed the “Flower Island” a few years ago.