Spitzingsee, Alpine lake in Schliersee, Germany.
Spitzingsee is a mountain lake at 1084 m in the Bavarian Alps, about five kilometres south of Schliersee. It covers 28.3 hectares, making it one of Bavaria's largest mountain lakes, and is pinched in the middle by two peninsulas jutting from the east and west shores. The south basin reaches 16.3 m deep, the north basin 10.4 m.
The lake was long recorded on old maps as "Stump See" or "Stümpfsee". The Spitzingsee ski area around the Stümpfling was modernised with millions of euros: two old double chairlifts were replaced by detachable four-seater chairlifts with weather-protection hoods and a new children's lift was built. The Taubenstein ski operation was discontinued in 2015 for economic reasons, but its 1971 cable car still carries hikers outside the ski season.
The lake shares its name with the Kirchdorf Spitzingsee on its shore, a village of about 200 residents belonging to the market of Schliersee. Old maps also label the water as "Stump See" or "Stümpfsee". The Marco Polo travel guide called it in 2024 the "little unknown one among the lakes around Munich", while the Südkurier noted it is as well known there as the Hofbräuhaus.
The lake is accessible via well-marked hiking trails suitable for different fitness levels. Regular bus connections link the area to the nearest train station, making it easy to visit without a car.
Two peninsulas push into the lake from the east and west, pinching it into a narrower middle between a deeper south basin of 16.3 m and a north basin of 10.4 m. The lake belongs to the Free State of Bavaria, administered by the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.
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