Walchensee, or Lake Walchen, is one of the deepest and largest alpine lakes in the Bavarian alps of Germany. It’s one of my favorite lakes for a walk – no matter if it’s summer or winter, if there is sun or rain. Walchensee always has an unique atmosphere!
What’s the meaning of Walchen?
There are two ways to explain the origin of the word Walchen:
- It may come from Middle High German. Then it probably means “strangers”.
(All Roman and romanized peoples of the Alps south of Bavaria were known to the locals as Welsche or Walche.) - It may also come from the Latin Lacus vallensis, meaning “lake in a valley”.
So when you combine both, you get: A lake in a valley where strangers live.
Which leads me to the question: Were the people living at this Bavarian lake already strangers? Or are there strangers living behind the mountains (Austria)?
The Poetry of Walchensee
On this day at the beginning of December, there was a cool breeze but the sun was shining. A cloud crept down the mountain like a big, fat caterpillar and turned into fog as it reached the lake. And when the sun went down, its golden light poured forth and illuminated the mountains and the forest. – A winter poem of fog and light.
Have you ever been to Walchensee?
What did you see?
Please comment below!