Limmernsee, reservoir

Limmernsee is a reservoir in the southern canton of Glarus, formed in 1963 when the 122-metre double-curvature Limmern arch dam, holding 553,000 m³ of concrete, cut off the Limmerenboden basin at Ochsenplangge. Fed by meltwater from the Gries and Limmern glaciers and the Muttenbach, it lies below the Bifertenstock (3,419 m), Selbsanft and Muttenchopf, with a surface area of 1.36 km².

The Limmern dam, a double-curved arch dam 122 metres high, was completed in 1963 and cut off the Limmerenboden plain at Ochsenplangge. Its wall contains 553,000 cubic metres of concrete, and a 170-metre-deep grout curtain runs beneath the foundation. The reservoir feeds the Linth-Limmern pumped-storage plant, which moves water between Limmernsee and the higher Muttsee.

The name Limmernsee derives from the old name of the Limmerenbach, first recorded in 1003 or 1063 as "torrentis … limerta", probably from the Swiss German Limmi, a bowl-shaped hollow or small grassy plain between mountains. The lake itself only dates from 1963, when the Limmerenboden was flooded behind the dam; the Muttseehütte of the Swiss Alpine Club above the lake serves walkers on the route to the Muttenalp.

You can reach the lake by foot using marked trails with white and red blazes, or by cable car from the town of Linthal, both easily accessible from Glarus Süd. Summer temperatures stay cool at this elevation, so bringing layers and warm clothing helps you stay comfortable during longer visits.

The 122-metre-high Limmern dam, a double-curvature arch dam, required 553,000 m³ of concrete; a grout curtain reaching 170 metres deep was injected beneath its foundation to stop water seeping under the wall. Its spillway can discharge up to 89 m³/s, and the bottom outlet up to 98 m³/s when the lake is drawn down.