Ellbachsee, Glacial lake in Baiersbronn, Germany
Ellbachsee is a small glacial lake in the northern Black Forest with an unusual three-pronged shape surrounded by dense forest. The water sits at about 771 meters in elevation and covers just under a hectare.
This glacial lake formed about 10,000 years ago when ice age glaciers carved a hollow into the northern Black Forest landscape. Since then it has been slowly transforming into a highland moor through natural sediment accumulation.
Local folklore tells of water spirits living in this glacial lake, part of the Black Forest region's traditional tales. Visitors can still hear these stories from people who know the area well.
An elevated viewing platform called Ellbachseeblick offers the best views and sits about 150 meters above the water surface. It is accessible via marked hiking trails and fits well into a larger Black Forest walk.
The lake reaches a maximum depth of just 2 meters and is ringed by floating quaking bogs that wobble underfoot. These unstable edges give a vivid sense of how the water body is gradually becoming a moor.
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