Eibsee, Lake in Grainau, Germany
Eibsee sits at the base of Zugspitze at 973 meters elevation and covers 177 hectares with green-tinted waters. Eight small islands dot the surface and give the site its irregular shape with many bays and inlets.
A massive rockslide between 1700 and 1400 BCE shaped the basin after the Würm ice age ended. The falling rock created several depressions that now form the irregular profile of the water body.
The name Eibsee derives from the German word for yew trees that previously grew abundantly along its shores, reflecting the local natural heritage.
Trains and buses from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen bring visitors nearby, with two paid parking areas on site. A walking path around the shore lets you see the islands and bays from different angles.
The Eibsee has no surface outlet: it is a blind lake, and its water seeps through the permeable landslide sill into the Untersee and then underground. It is thought to feed the springs of the Kreppbach at Rohrlaine, almost two kilometres to the northeast. In the dry summer of 2026 the sill between Weitsee and Untersee fell completely dry.
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