Lake Brienz

Lake Brienz (German: Brienzersee) is a natural lake just north of the Alps, in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.

It has a length of about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), a width of 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) and a maximum depth of 260 metres (850 ft). Its area is 29.8 square kilometres (11.5 sq mi), and the surface is 564 metres (1,850 ft) above the sea-level.

It is fed, among others, by the upper reaches of the Aare at its eastern end, the Giessbach at its southern shore from steep, forested and rocky hills of the high Faulhorn and Schwarzhoren more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above the lake, and by the Lütschine, flowing from the valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, at its south-western corner. It flows out into a further stretch of the Aare at its western end. The culminating point of the lakes drainage basin is the Finsteraarhorn at 4,274 metres above sea level.

The lake is poor in nutrients, and consequently, fishing is not very important. Nevertheless, in 2001 10,000 kg fish were caught.