Lakes in the Black Forest

The Black Forest has many lakes. The largest and best-known are Lake Titisee and Lake Schluchsee. Tourists also particularly enjoy Lake Mummelsee, Lake Albsee and Lake Feldsee on Mount Feldberg.

Most lakes formed after the last Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. During this Ice Age, the Black Forest was covered by huge glaciers, whose immense weight pressed hollows into the landscape. When the ice melted, the meltwater collected in these hollows.

Lake Titisee is 845 meters above sea level. It is about 1.8 km long, 750 meters wide and up to 39 meters deep. Its name may come from the Roman general Titus or from a man named Titini. Although it is quite high up, Lake Titisee rarely freezes over completely in winter. This is because strong winds keep the water moving. The lake is home to many fish, including lake trout, pike-perch and pike. Schluchsee is the largest lake in the Black Forest. It is about 7.5 km long and 1.4 km wide. But it wasn’t always this large. Between 1929 and 1932, a 62.5-meter-high dam was built. It has since held back the waters of the small Schwarza River and other streams. This caused Schluchsee to expand to its present size. The water is used to generate electricity. It flows through large underground pipes to three power stations at lower elevations, arranged one after another.

The water from Lake Schluchsee eventually flows into the Rhine near the town of Albbruck, 619 m below the lake. When demand for electricity is low, water is pumped back from the Rhine into the reservoir and used again to generate electricity.