Lake Lucerne depth map – Vierwaldstättersee

by Sidney van den Boogaard

This is not a lake you take in at a glance. Lake Lucerne, the Vierwaldstättersee, is a cross of fjord-like arms set among the mountains of central Switzerland, from Lucerne to Flüelen. Around Lucerne and Küssnacht the basins are broad and open; in the south the Urnersee lies narrow and steep between walls of rock. Between Gersau and Beckenried the bottom falls to 214 metres. Because the lake stands alone as a single shape on an empty ground, its odd, branching outline really comes through. On the wall it reads almost like a sign. For anyone who has crossed it by boat or walked the mountains around it. Good in an entrance hall, and next to Lake Thun.

From the Depth series: coastal waters and lakes in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland, in the same quiet colours. Each depth is its own layer, like stacked sheets of paper with a soft shadow beneath, from sandy flats to deep ink blue. Two or three side by side make a natural set, especially when they are places you know.

© Sidney van den Boogaard · Data: © swisstopo, © OpenStreetMap