This lake is considered one of the most beautiful in Bavaria, which is why it attracts over half a million visitors every year. With its crystal-clear water, it is one of the cleanest lakes in Germany. Surrounded by mountains and forests, it resembles a fjord.
The scenic setting
The elongated lake is located between the Watzmann and Hagengebirge mountains. The steep slopes rise up directly on the shores, meaning that most of them are not directly accessible. It stretches for 20 kilometers and is 190 meters deep at its deepest point. At its northern end is an island, the only one in the entire lake. On it stands a statue of the patron saint of sailors, St. John Nepomuk. Below the statue itself is a grotto.
The lake also has a peninsula on which the pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomä is located. Both the church and the Königssee belong to the municipality of Schönau in Berchtesgadener Land.
The legend of Berchtold and the VW Beetle
There is an old legend according to which a hunter named Berchtold met Swanhilde, a swan maiden, at Königssee. She is said to have shown him the way to the nearby salt mine, which helped him to become rich. According to one theory, the name of the Berchtesgadener Land goes back to him.
Whether this Berchtold really existed is not known. However, it is not a legend but a fact that a VW Beetle has been at the bottom of Lake Königssee since 1964. It broke into the ice while crossing the frozen lake. Although this was permitted at the time, the lake was closed to cars on the day of the incident. The car was discovered at the end of the 1990s during a submarine dive.
As salvage from the Königssee is prohibited, the beetle is still under water. Due to the lack of oxygen in the water, the vehicle is still in good condition. Today, the lake only freezes over completely about once a decade, most recently in 2006.
Tourism and leisure at Königssee
If you want to visit the Königssee, it will take you around 2-2.5 hours by car from Munich. The national park and the Berchtesgaden Alps have many sights and hiking routes to offer. You can also be in Salzburg in less than three quarters of an hour.
You can’t walk around the lake itself due to the steep slopes, but you can take a boat trip instead. If you hire a rowing boat, you can also visit the island of Christlieger with its grotto. Or you can make a detour to the pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomä. The hardy among you can go swimming, but be warned: even in summer, the Königssee does not reach a water temperature of 20 degrees.