Pfäffikersee (or ''Lake Pfäffikon'') is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland, near the town of Pfäffikon. It is 2.5 km long and 1.3 km wide at the middle. The lake was created in the last ice age when a

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

blocked off the ability for the lake to empty north towards

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austri ...

. There is also a

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

around the lake that people often bike and walk on, and the area is considered protected lands, among them the '' Robenhauser Ried'' and the prehistoric settlement

Wetzikon–Robenhausen Wetzikon–Robenhausen is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland. The site is located on ''Pfäffikersee'' lakeshore in Robenhausen, a lo ...

, discovered and researched by Jakob Messikommer (1828–1917), which became a serial site of the

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located various ...

''. In Roman era, along ''Pfäffikersee'' there was a

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman R ...

from the ''vicus

Centum Prata Centum Prata is the name of a Roman '' vicus'', whose remains are located on the eastern Zürichsee lakeshore in Kempraten, a locality of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Centum Prata is the most ...

'' (

Kempraten Kempraten-Lenggis is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The remains of the Gallo-Roman settlement ''Centum Prata'' are o ...

) on Obersee–

Lake Zürich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich (Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used ...

via ''

Vitudurum Vitudurum (sometimes Vitodorum) is the name of a Roman ''vicus'', those remains are located in Oberwinterthur, a locality of the municipality of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Geography The majority of the remains of commer ...

'' (

Oberwinterthur Oberwinterthur is a district in the Swiss city of Winterthur. It is district number 2. The district comprises the quarters Talacker, Guggenbühl, Zinzikon, Reutlingen, Stadel, Grüze, Hegmatten and Hegi. Oberwinterthur was formerly a muni ...

) to ''Tasgetium'' ( Eschenz) to the Rhine. To secure this important transport route, the

Irgenhausen Castrum Irgenhausen Castrum is a Roman fort at Irgenhausen, situated on Pfäffikersee lake shore in Switzerland. It was a square fort, measuring in square, with four corner towers and three additional towers. The remains of a stone wall in the inter ...

was built. File:Pfäffikon - Pfäffikersee IMG 3352.jpg, Pfäffikersee at Pfäffikon, Seegräben in the background File:Irgenhausen castrum IMG 3402.jpg, as seen from the Roman castrum Irgenhausen File:Pfäffikersee - Seegräben - Irgenhausen IMG 3622.jpg, ''Bürglen'' drumlin in Irgenhausen where the Roman

is situated File:Pfäffikersee - Auslikon IMG 3462.jpg,

Auslikon Auslikon is a village ('' :de:Aussenwacht'') of the municipality of Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Geography Auslikon is located in the district of Pfäffikon in the Zürcher Oberland on the eastern shore of the Pfäffiker ...

lido,

Wetzikon Wetzikon is a small town in the Zurich Highlands (Zürcher Oberland) area of Switzerland, in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich. Geography The municipality Wetzikon has an area of . Of this area, 42.4% is used for agricultural pu ...

in the background File:Pfäffikon - Pfäffikersee IMG 3356.jpg, Pfäffikersee as seen to the south

External links

*
Waterlevels of Pfäffikersee
at Pfäffikon Pfaffikon Lakes of the canton of Zürich High Rhine basin Wetzikon Pfäffikon, Zürich LPfaffikersee Seegräben {{Zurich-geo-stub

See also

External links