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

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

in the

canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

, 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 (geology), 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 gla ...

blocked off the ability for the lake to empty north towards

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

. There is also a

hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...

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

Robenhauser Ried Robenhausen is a locality in Wetzikon, one of the municipalities of the canton of Zürich, Switzerland. The wetland Robenhauser Ried belongs to the protected area surrounding ''Pfäffikersee''. The prehistoric pile dwelling around Lake Zurich '' W ...

'' 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 l ...

, discovered and researched by

Jakob Messikommer Jakob Messikommer (18 August 1828 – 23 August 1917) was a Swiss archaeologist who among others discovered and researched the UNESCO serial site Wetzikon–Robenhausen. Bibliography Personal life Born in the hamlet of ''Stegen'' in Wetzik ...

(1828–1917), which became a serial site of the

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

'' Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps''. In Roman era, along ''Pfäffikersee'' there was a

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

from the ''vicus

Centum Prata Centum Prata is the name of a Roman ''vicus'' on the eastern shore of Lake Zurich, whose remains are located in Kempraten (to which the vicus lends its name) in the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Centum Prata ...

'' (

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 on ...

) on Obersee–

Lake Zürich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

via ''

Vitudurum Vitudurum (sometimes Vitodorum) is the name of a Switzerland in the Roman era, Roman ''vicus'', whose remains are located in Oberwinterthur, a locality of the Municipalities in the canton of Zürich, municipality of Winterthur in the canton of Zü ...

'' (

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 municip ...

) to ''Tasgetium'' (

Eschenz Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The prehistoric shore village on ''Werd Island'' and in the ''Seeäckern'' area (northeast of Eschenz) are rich archeological sites that have cont ...

) to the Rhine. To secure this important transport route, the

Irgenhausen Castrum Irgenhausen Castrum is a Switzerland in the Roman era, Roman Castra, 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 r ...

was built. File:Pfäffikon - Pfäffikersee IMG 3352.jpg, Pfäffikersee at Pfäffikon,

Seegräben Seegräben is a village and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Hinwil (district), Hinwil in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. Besides the village of Seegräben itself, the m ...

in the background File:Irgenhausen castrum IMG 3402.jpg, as seen from the Roman castrum

Irgenhausen Irgenhausen is a village ( Aussenwacht) of the municipality of Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Geography Irgenhausen is located in the district of Pfäffikon in the Zürcher Oberland on the eastern shore of the Pfäffike ...

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. The village occupies a gently shelving terrace on the eastern shore of Pfäffikersee at about 567 m above sea level, a ...

lido,

Wetzikon Wetzikon is a small town in the Zürcher Oberland, Zurich Highlands (Zürcher Oberland) area of Switzerland, in the district of Hinwil (district), Hinwil in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich. Geography The Municipal ...

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