Hintersteiner See

Geschichte

Hintersteiner See is a mountain lake in the Austrian national park called Wilder Kaiser and belongs to the administrative region of Scheffau in the Austrian federal state of Tirol.The 56 hectare large and 36 metre deep lake was created during the last ice age and is at a height of 883 m AA. Underground springs fill the lake with crystal clear water. Hintersteiner See is privately owned by the Tiroler Wasserkraft AG and is cautiously used to generate electricity. It drains into the Weißache river.There is a public bathing beach on the lake. The one-hour walk around the lake is much to be recommended and this takes you past several spots where refreshments are available, not to mention passing the lakes most beautiful locations.The legend of Hintersteiner SeeIn Hinterstein, there lived some high-spirited, wealthy farmers, who used to play bowls with lumps of butter on their luscious meadow, which was where the Hintersteiner See is today. It was a brightly moonlit night as they played once more. Then suddenly, the earth heaved beneath their feet and they sank with their farm and everything on it into the depths. For their wanton behaviour however, the farmers were banished onto the Scheffauer peaks and, to atone for their sins, they were condemned to play bowls as long as the Kaiser mountain exists. Their bowling alley can be found just below the peak of the Scheffauer in a small corrie which is covered with a fine carpet of moss.