Lake Ossiach

Lake Ossiach lies in Carinthia, Austria’s third largest lake after Wörthersee and Millstätter See. It sits 501 metres above sea level in the southern Nock Mountains of the Gurktal Alps. The lake stretches across about 10.8 square kilometres with an average depth of nearly 20 metres. In summer its surface warms to 28 °C, while in spring and late autumn the waters mix completely. Several shoreline sections remain wild and are protected as nature reserves. The lake drains into the Drava River through Seebach Creek, fed mainly by Tiebel Creek at its eastern bay. Villages ring the shore: Annenheim at the western tip, Sattendorf and Bodensdorf along the northern side, Steindorf at the eastern end, and Ossiach on the southern bank. Mount Gerlitzen towers 1,909 metres above the northern shore, and its Kanzelhöhe subpeak is reached by a cable car built in 1928. Nearby, Landskron Castle overlooks the landscape from higher ground. Visitors find quiet bays, reed-fringed wetlands and open swimming areas around the lake. A lakeside path links the villages, offering views of the water and the surrounding peaks. The cable-car station at Annenheim provides panoramic vistas across the lake and towards the Alps. In the east, the re-naturalised Bleistatt Moor adds a wetland habitat for birds and plants.