Emerald water
Crystal clear.
Martin Dunst — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ewood49 — CC BY-SA 3.0 at · GT1976 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Liuthalas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GT1976 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Grüner See, the Green Lake, lies in the village of Tragöß in the municipality of Tragöß-Sankt Katharein, Styria, Austria, about 60 km north of Graz in a straight line. Forests and three mountains of the Hochschwab range surround it, the highest being Trenchtling at 2,081 metres. The lake is named for its emerald water, clean and clear, fed by snowmelt from the karst mountains, at 6–7 °C. In winter it is only 1–2 metres deep and the land around it is used as a park. But when the snow melts in spring the basin fills, and the lake reaches its greatest depth of about 12 metres from mid-May to June, when it is said to look its finest; in July the water begins to recede. The clear green lake lies beneath towering grey rock walls, with mountains and forest mirrored on its calm surface and its rocky bed plainly visible. When the water rises in spring it floods the paths, benches and trees around it. Visitors walk the path around the lake and photograph the reflections. Swimming, diving and all water activities are now banned to protect the fragile environment, and mid-May to June is the loveliest season.
Crystal clear.
Hochschwab.
On the surface.
Tragöß-Sankt Katharein, Styria, Austria
No, water activities are banned.
Mid-May to June.