Rotlech

The Rotlech is a mountain stream in the Austrian Alps, flowing through the Tyrolean countryside before joining the Lech. It rises north of the Heiterwand in the municipality of Tarrenz at about 1,580 metres above sea level. The water descends quickly, passing the Rotlechwasserfall at Rinnen and continuing northwest for roughly a kilometre to the Rotlechstausee. The reservoir was created in 1977 and stretches for about one kilometre along the valley floor. It holds 1.1 million cubic metres of water, mainly to balance daily energy needs. Below the dam the stream narrows again, winding past alpine meadows and scattered farmsteads until it reaches Weißenbach am Lech. Visitors follow the valley road from Tarrenz up to the reservoir, where the dam offers a quiet spot to watch water spill over the spillway. The path continues beside the lake, lined with larch and spruce, before the stream plunges once more into a steep gorge. The whole route shows how mountain water shapes the land, from high springs to the wide Lech valley.