Lake Klopein

Lake Klopein (German: Klopeiner See, Slovene: Klopinjsko jezero) is a lake near the town of Völkermarkt located within the municipality of Sankt Kanzian in Carinthia, Austria. Lake Klopein is the remaining lake of a previously larger lake area, which spanned over today’s Kühnsdorf area. With water temperatures reaching 29 °C, it is among the warmest lakes in the Alpine region.

Lake Klopein is a beautiful lake in Carinthia, Austria, that is known for its warm water and rich biodiversity. It is a popular tourist destination, with many hotels and swimming areas around the lake.

Geological structure

Lake Klopein is mostly a still lake. Only a few little streams are flowing into it. The result is a very high water temperature, reaching up to 29 °C. The outgoing stream is on the west side and flows into the river Drava. Lake Klopein is 1800 meters long, 800 meters wide and has the deepest depth of 48 meters. The average depth is at 23 meters. Because of the rare water influx from the rivers, the Sankt Kanzian municipality is taking great care about preserving the water quality. Since the 1980s, when the lake used to be biologically contaminated, they managed to add different channels to ventilate the lake. Since 1975, the lake is being filled up through a deep-water installation with additional oxygen. In the 1930s, the water circulation reached the depths of 40 meters, but today the water only circulates until 30 meters, therefore it requires technical assistance.

A bit smaller Turnersee and also 13 meters deep lake is known for its high temperatures. It lies about 2 kilometers further from Lake Klopein and also belongs to the municipality of Sankt Kanzian. A popular fishing point is also Kleinsee, which is located on the north of Lake Klopein.

Tourism

Lake Klopein is a popular tourist destination, therefore hotels and swimming places span around the whole lake area. Most of the swimming areas are private and available only to hotel guests. There are also some public swimming areas, which are equipped with small restaurants. In the beginning of the year 1885, the first guests arrived at Lake Klopein, where they offered 40 beds. It was known as a recovery area for lung related illnesses.

Until the 1970s, the area became more popular as a tourist destination, which has been divided into three areas – Sommerfrischen Klopein (north shore), Seelach (northwest corner) and Unterburg (southeast corner). Today, these three areas are binding together, where the center of the tourism is in the area of Seelach.

Lake Klopein offers a variety of activities for visitors, such as swimming, stand-up paddling, diving, surfing or even a workout on the Fitness Beach right by the lake. The lake is also surrounded by scenic hiking and biking trails, as well as cultural and historical attractions, such as the castle of Hochosterwitz, the Roman museum of Teurnia, or the Benedictine monastery of St. Paul.

Fish species

In Lake Klopein, 15 different sorts of fish can be found (statistic review from 2004):

Coregonus lavaretus (whitefish)
Salmo trutta lacustris (lake trout)
Esox lucius (pike)
Silurus glanis (catfish)
Anguilla anguilla (eel)
Cyprinus carpio (carp)
Abramis brama (bream)
Tinca tinca (tench)
Scardinius erythrophthalmus (rudd)
Rutilus rutilus (roach)
Perca fluviatilis (perch)
Sander lucioperca (zander)
Cottus gobio (bullhead)
Gobio gobio (gudgeon)
Alburnus alburnus (bleak)

Lake Klopein is a fascinating and diverse water world that attracts many visitors every year. It is a place where nature, culture and recreation meet in harmony. If you are looking for a warm and wonderful lake experience, Lake Klopein is the perfect destination for you.

Klagenfurt, Austria