Lake Toplitz, Mountain lake in the Totes Gebirge, Salzkammergut, Austria

Lake Toplitz is an alpine lake in the Salzkammergut region that stretches 1.9 kilometers between steep mountain walls, descending to depths of 103 meters. The water is surrounded by the Totes Gebirge range, with dense forests defining the landscape around its shores.

During World War II, the German Navy set up a testing station in 1943 to conduct experiments with explosives and underwater weapons. This military operation ended with the war and left behind a chapter of wartime history at this alpine location.

The lake's name comes from the Toplitz stream that drains it westward into the Grundlsee. The shore is linked to film: the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger has Bond receive a gold bar said to come from a Nazi hoard recovered here, and Gert Fröbe, who plays Goldfinger, had starred in the 1959 film Der Schatz vom Toplitzsee. A boat service of Schifffahrt Grundlsee crosses between the west and east shores.

The lake is reached from the Gößl district on the east shore of the Grundlsee; the roughly 2 km route takes about 20 walking minutes. The Toplitzseestraße is closed to public traffic but open to cyclists, and a hiking trail follows the Toplitz through the forest. The shores are unbuilt except for two boathouses on the west bank, and no footpath runs along the water to the east end, where the way to the Kammersee begins; a boat service links the west and east shores.

Below 20 meters depth, the water contains almost no oxygen, allowing only specialized bacteria and worms to survive in these depths. This extreme condition beneath the surface sets the lake apart from typical alpine waters.