Pichlinger See

The Pichlinger See lies on the south-eastern edge of Linz in the Pichling district. It is a man-made lake created during gravel extraction for the Hermann-Göring-Werks and later the A1 motorway. The 31-hectare sheet of water has no surface inlet or outlet; it is fed and drained slowly by groundwater, reaching a maximum depth of six metres. The lake began to serve swimmers in 1947. In the 1950s mammoth tusks were unearthed beside the pit. By the mid-1980s algal blooms had reduced its appeal, but dredging by Linz city works restored the water in the 1990s. Since then the Linz AG has maintained the site. From May to September volunteer lifeguards from the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund now patrol at weekends and holidays. A 3.5-kilometre path circles the lake, used by walkers, runners, divers, anglers and surfers according to season. Up to 40 000 visitors a day arrive in summer. In winter the frozen surface attracts ice skaters and curling players. North of the water ice-age embankments are still visible.