Lake Starnberg

Lake Starnberg
Aerial view of Lake Starnberg from the south
Lake Starnberg Show map of Germany Lake Starnberg Show map of Bavaria
Location	Bavaria
Coordinates	47°54′14″N 11°18′26″E / 47.90389°N 11.30722°E / 47.90389; 11.30722
Type	Natural lake
Primary inflows	Steinbach or Ostersee-Ach
Primary outflows	Würm
Catchment area	314 km2 (121 sq mi)
Basin countries	Germany
Max. length	20.2 km (12.6 mi)
Surface area	58.36 km2 (22.53 sq mi)
Max. depth	127.8 m (419 ft)
Water volume	2,998×10^6 m3 (105.9×10^9 cu ft)
Residence time	21 years
Surface elevation	596 m (1,955 ft)
Islands	Roseninsel
Settlements	Starnberg, Ammerland, Seeshaupt, Tutzing, Feldafing, Possenhofen
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Starnberger See
Designated	26 February 1976
Reference no.	94[1]

Lake Starnberg, or Starnberger See [ˈʃtaʁnbɛʁɡɐ ˌzeː] ^ⓘ) — called Lake Würm or Würmsee [ˈvʏʁmˌzeː] until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area.^[2] It and its surroundings lie in three different Bavarian districts, or Landkreise. The lake is property of the state and accordingly managed by the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.

Located in southern Bavaria 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Munich, Lake Starnberg is a popular recreation area for the city and, since 1976, one of the wetlands of international importance protected by the Ramsar Convention. The small town of Berg is famous as the site where King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in the lake in 1886. Because of its associations with the Wittelsbach royal family, the lake is also known as Fürstensee (Prince's Lake). It is also mentioned in T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land.