Pragser Wildsee, Alpine lake in Prags, South Tyrol, Italy

Pragser Wildsee sits at 1,494 meters (4,900 feet) elevation in South Tyrol, where emerald waters stretch across about 31 hectares against steep Dolomite peaks. The shoreline follows a natural oval shape, with dense forest on one side and rocky slopes rising sharply on the other.

During World War II, the area around the lake became a gathering point for concentration camp inmates shortly before their liberation in 1945. Memorial plaques along the shore now mark this chapter in the region's past.

Ladin tradition links the lake to the Fanes kingdom: the survivors of that people were said to emerge from a hole in the Seekofel and row around the water, led by their queen and the heroine Lujanta. The Ladin name Sass dla Porta, Gate Mountain, refers to the sunken entrance to the underworld at the lake's southern end.

During summer, vehicle access requires advance booking because the road gets restricted to manage the number of arrivals. Arriving early in the morning or late afternoon helps avoid crowds and makes finding parking easier.

The lake's Ladin name for the Croda del Becco above it, Sass dla Porta (gate mountain), comes from the Fanes saga: the entrance to the underground realm of Fanes was said to lie at the lake's southern end, and boats could reach it from the water. Hermann von Gilm published his poem Der alte Schütz am Pragser See in 1863.