Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, that extends southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or Zürichsee may refer to the entire lake or specifically to the section downstream of the Hurden peninsula and Seedamm causeway. In the latter case, the upstream part of the lake is called Obersee, while the lower part is sometimes also referred to as the Lower Lake, respectively.
Geography
Lake Zurich is a glacial lake that was formed by the. Its main tributary is the River Linth, which rises in the glaciers of the Glarus Alps. The Linth originally flowed directly into Lake Zurich, but was later diverted by the Escher canal into Lake Walen from where its waters are now carried to the east end of Lake Zurich via the straightened Linth Canal. Until the early 16th century, there was another lake upstream of Obersee, Lake Tuggen near Tuggen. Water exits Lake Zurich at its northwestern end, passing through the city of Zurich. However, this outflow is known as the Limmat. The Limmat is a tributary of the Aare, which itself is a tributary of the High Rhine. The highest point in the lake's drainage basin is the Tödi, at 3,614 metres above sea level.In addition to the River Linth, other tributaries include the Jona, Schmerikoner Aa, Steinenbach, and Wägitaler Aa, which all flow into the Obersee, along with several creeks. The Seedamm, an artificial causeway and bridge, crosses the narrowest point of the lake at the level of the Hurden Peninsula, carrying a railway line and road from Rapperswil to Pfäffikon. The waterway is also crossed by the Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden, a wooden pedestrian bridge. The eastern section of the lake is known as the Obersee. West of the Seedamm lie the small islands of Lützelau and Ufenau, where in 1523 Ulrich von Hutten took refuge and died. Other islands include Grosser Hafner, Saffa Island and Schönenwerd. A popular tourist destination is the Au peninsula at the village of Au between Wädenswil and Horgen. The lake shores are well cultivated and fertile. These include nature reserves such as Frauenwinkel and Bätzimatt. The bay of Rapperswil and reed in Nuolen are wintering areas for birds and popular sites for bird watching.
To the east, separated by Zürichberg-Adlisberg, Forch, and Pfannenstiel, are two smaller lakes, Greifensee and Pfäffikersee. There are several minor lakes and ponds in the vicinity, such as Egelsee, Lützelsee or Türlersee. Zimmerberg, Etzel and Buechberg mountains lie to the west and south of the lake, respectively. Further to the east, the Speer, Chüemettler and Federispitz can be seen from the southern part of the lake.
Administratively, Lake Zurich is split between the cantons of Zurich, St. Gallen and Schwyz. The lower lake, to the west of the Seedamm, is largely in the canton of Zurich, while the upper lake is shared between the cantons of St. Gallen and Schwyz.
Tributaries of lower lake
The following rivers or streams flow into lower part of Lake Zurich. From the Limmat clockwise, they are:- Hornbach
- Düggelbach
- Kusenbach
- Küsnachter Dorfbach
- Heslibach
- Dorfbach Erlenbach
- Tobelbächli
- Schipfbach
- Rossbach
- Meilener Dorfbach
- Beugenbach
- Aebletenbach
- Uetiker Mulibach
- Feldbach
- Sarenbach
- Krebsbach
- Mülibach
- Zürichsee
- Meilibach
- Schanzengraben
Coastal settlements
On the west shore are Kilchberg, Rüschlikon, Thalwil, Oberrieden, Horgen, Au, Wädenswil and Richterswil in the canton of Zurich, and Freienbach, Pfäffikon, Hurden, Altendorf, Lachen, Nuolen and Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz.
On the opposite shore, which gradually becomes the northern shore towards east, are Zollikon, Küsnacht, Erlenbach, Herrliberg, Feldmeilen, Meilen, Stäfa, and Feldbach in the canton of Zurich, and Rapperswil-Jona. The latter includes the medieval town of Rapperswil, whose castle is home to the Polish museum, and the coastal villages of Kempraten, Busskirch and Bollingen. The municipalities of Rapperswil-Jona and Schmerikon, which is close to the east end of the lake, are both in the canton of St. Gallen. A little further east is the larger town of Uznach.
Prehistoric pile dwellings and historic settlements
Nine Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee, which are located in the cantons of Schwyz, St. Gallen and Zurich, are among the 56 Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps in Switzerland.These nine sites on the Lake Zurich lakeshore are Freienbach–Hurden Rosshorn, Freienbach–Hurden Seefeld, Rapperswil-Jona/Hombrechtikon–Feldbach, Rapperswil-Jona–Technikum, Erlenbach–Winkel, Meilen–Rorenhaab, Wädenswil–Vorder Au, Zurich–Enge Alpenquai, and Kleiner Hafner. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around to under the water level of. Two other sites are not far away: Greifensee–Storen/Wildsberg at the Greifensee and Wetzikon–Robenhausen at the Pfäffikersee.
As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, each of these 11 prehistoric pile dwellings is also listed as a Class object in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance.
In Kempraten, there was a Roman vicus named Centum Prata. Another settlement was Turicum in Zurich.
Transportation
The main public and private transportation nodes around the lake are the city of Zurich and — given the presence of the Seedamm causeway — Pfäffikon and Rapperswil. Besides Quaibrücke in Zurich and the Seedamm, there are no bridges across the lake. In addition, the towns of Meilen and Horgen are connected by a car ferry. The lake lies within the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund fare zones, but the railway and bus routes around Obersee are partly within the fare zone.Trams and buses
Bus routes on the western shore are operated by Zimmerberg Bus. On the eastern side, the VZO provides bus services along the lake shore and to the Zürcher Oberland. VZO also operates the urban bus routes in Rapperswil and Jona. At the northern end of the lake, in Zurich, public transport consists of trams, trolleybuses and motor buses of VBZ.Rail
Left bank: The towns on the western and southern shores of Lake Zurich are linked by the Lake Zurich left bank railway line, which connects with. This line is served by the,, and of the Zurich S-Bahn and InterRegio trains. It is also used by EuroCity, Intercity Express, Intercity and Railjet trains but they do not call at stations along the lake. At, the line connects to the Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway to Einsiedeln, served by the.Right bank: Towns on the eastern shore of the lower lake are connected by the Lake Zurich right bank railway line between Zürich HB and. This line is served by S-Bahn services,, and of Zurich S-Bahn.
The Rapperswil–Ziegelbrücke railway line along the northern shore of Obersee is served by St. Gallen S-Bahn services, and, and the Voralpen Express. This line connects Rapperswil with on the eastern end of the lake via. is a ghost station since 2004.
Seedamm: The Rapperswil–Pfäffikon railway line across the Seedamm and Hurden Peninsula is served by Zurich S-Bahn services and and the Voralpen Express. This short line connects Rapperswil with via.
Shipping
The Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft – – provides with its 17-passenger ships touristic services on Lake Zurich. There are a number of passenger ferry services, notably the Horgen–Meilen ferry, an auto ferry between Horgen and Meilen.Since 2025, the former MS Uetliberg has a 20 ton battery and two electric motors.
The ship thus saves 113,000 liters of diesel, or 300 tons of CO₂, annually.
The batteries are charged overnight with green electricity at the shipyard in Zurich-Wollishofen. The ship, now called EMS Uetliberg, has space for 300 passengers.
The sister ships MS Albis and MS Pfannenstiel will also be converted and electrified - one in winter 2025/26 and one in 2026/27.
Road
The A3 motorway and Hauptstrasse 3 follow the western and southern shores of Lake Zurich. The Hauptstrasse 8 crosses the Seedamm, and the Hauptstrasse 17 runs along the eastern lake shore.The Lakes Route, one of the national bike routes, runs across the Seedamm and then follows the northern shore of Obersee. There are other bike routes along the eastern and western lake shores.
Freeze over
The freezing of Lake Zurich, called Seegfrörni in Swiss German, is a rare and spectacular event. The lake was frozen in the following Common Era/Anno Domini years. Years 1223 to 1963 are based on and, for 1435 see.- 1223, 1259, 1262
- 1407, 1435, 1491
- 1514, 1517, 1573
- 1600, 1660, 1684, 1695
- 1709, 1716, 1718, 1740, 1755, 1763, 1789
- 1830, 1880, 1891, 1895
- 1929, 1963
Water quality