Lake Davos, natural lake in Davos, Canton of the Grisons, Switzerland

Lake Davos is a mountain lake in the town of Davos in Canton of the Grisons, surrounded by high peaks and offering clear water. The lake is relatively small, measuring roughly half a mile across at its widest point and stretching about a mile in length, but remarkably deep at over 54 meters, with its water partially diverted for hydropower generation.

The lake was recognized more than a century ago as a valuable water source and today serves in part as a reservoir for hydropower generation. Its water is diverted to the Landquart river basin to produce electricity for the region, showing the long history of the community's use of natural resources.

The lake's name gives that of the Seehorn, the peak directly above it. Until the 1920s it was used all year: in winter horse-drawn sledges crossed the ice, and ice was cut and shipped by rail to the rest of Switzerland. Since 1922 water has fed the Klosters power plant, and in cold months the basin largely dries out.

Flat paths run along the lake shore and are easy to use for walking, cycling, or jogging while enjoying views of the water and mountains. In summer you can rent boats or paddleboards or take part in activities like sailing, windsurfing, and swimming, while the cold months allow for ice skating on the frozen surface.

On 7 February 1923, around 5 a.m., a roughly 300-metre-wide stretch of the northwestern shore slid into the lake after the water level had been lowered about 12 metres for the groundwater intakes. The resulting wave broke the 50-centimetre ice sheet, tore the floating pump station from its anchors and sank it; one of the two machinists died.