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 the north-south direction and is about 1.7 km (1.1 mi) across at its widest point. Except at its outlet, the Königsseer Ache at the village of Königssee, the lake similar to a fjord is surrounded by steeply rising flanks of mountains up to 2700 m (8900 ft), including the Watzmann massif in the west. The railway Königsseebahn served the lake from 1909 until 1965. The last tracks were dismantled until 1971, and the station in Berchtesgaden has been torn down in 2012. The only remain is the Königsee station (now a restaurant). The track route is mostly used as a walking path.
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, calling at various points, are operated by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt company. Ports of call for this monopolist are: Seelände (Schönau), St. Bartholomä, Salet (not served between mid-October until mid-April), and Kessel (on request). With perfect conditions, the longest tour takes two hours from Seelände to Salet.
St. Bartholomä, a famous pilgrimage church with a 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 the Königssee, separated by the Salet moraine, is the smaller Obersee lake with the 470 m (1,540 ft) high Röthbach waterfall. As 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 for harsh winters, when the lake freezes over.
Due to its picturesque setting, the lake and surrounding parklands are very popular with tourists and hikers. In addition, the lake’s position surrounded by sheer rock walls creates an echo, which is known for its clarity. On boat tours, it has become traditional to stop and play a flugelhorn or trumpet to demonstrate the echo. Formerly demonstrated by shooting a canon, it can be heard to reverberate up to seven times. The trumpeter plays along with the returning sounds so it sounds like up to 7 multiple players.
