1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Walensee (original) (raw)

​WALENSEE, also called the Lake of Walenstadt, a Swiss lake between the basins of the Rhine and the Linth (Limmat), lying S.E. of the Lake of Zürich. It is formed by the Seez river (descending from the Weisstannen glen), which once certainly sent its waters to the Rhine, but now enters the lake at its eastern end. Near its western end the Linth has been diverted through the Escher canal (completed in 1811) into the lake, from which it soon again issues in order, by means of the Linth canal (completed in 1816), to flow into the Lake of Zürich. The Walensee has an area of 9 sq. m., is about 9 m. in length, 1¼ m. wide and 495 ft. deep, while its surface is 1388 ft. above sea-level. It forms part of the Canton of St Gall, save 1¾ sq. m . towards its west end, which are in that of Glarus. It lies in a deep trench between two comparatively lofty ranges of mountains, so that its scenery is more gloomy than is usual with Swiss lakes. On the north shore there is but a single village of any size (Quinten), while above it rise the cliffs of the seven-peaked range of the Kurfürsten (7576 ft.), at the west end of which the village of Amden nestles in a hollow high above the lake. On the south side the hills rise less steeply from the shore (on which are Mühlehorn and Murg) towards the fine terrace of the Kerenzenberg, on which are the frequented summer resorts of Obstalden and Filzbach, backed on the south by the singularly imposing crags of the Mürtschenstock (8012 ft.). The small towns of Weesen and Walenstadt are situated respectively at the western and the eastern extremities of the lake, a railway along the south shore of which connects them with each other (11 m.). Since the construction of this line no steamers ply on the lake. (W. A. B. C.)