The Pressegger See is embedded in the second largest reed belt in Austria. And so that you can enjoy the crystal-clear water of this Gailtal natural jewel for as long as possible, there are also the most hours of sunshine in Carinthia. The lake has a water surface of 55 hectares. This makes it the ninth largest lake in Carinthia. It has a semicircular shape. The underwater slopes in the west, north and east are gently sloping, in the south they are steeper. The bottom of the lake is flat. A number of small spring funnels are sunk into it. The mean depth of the Pressegger See is 3.4 m. Only one seventh of the lake is deeper than 6 m.
Its flatness, combined with the sunny location, causes the lake to warm up quickly in early summer to temperatures of 22 to 24 °C. At a depth of 5 to 8 m, a thermocline forms with a strong temperature gradient. The deep water is around 10 °C cold. In midsummer, the lake can even reach a temperature of up to 28 °C.
A local family is authorized to fish at the lake. Mainly carp, tench, pike and catfish are caught. Another family has the right to fish down the drain.
Until the appearance of the crayfish plague, the noble crayfish was also of economic importance. The caught animals were sold at the markets in Villach and Klagenfurt and even sent to Vienna by train.
The most beautiful hiking tours in the Gailtal at the Pressegger See in Carinthia
Green alpine pastures instead of dreary everyday life, imposing rocks instead of gray asphalt: Whether you want to conquer the Carnic Alps with the 2195 m high Gartnerkofel, the 2371 m high Reißkofel in the Gailtal Alps or the 2754 m high Monte Montasio in the Julian Alps: Unforgettable Mountain experiences are also a matter of course for friends of high alpine challenges.
And now and then you come across such rare flowers as the full-headed devil's claw (also known as schelanderia), which grows out of a crevice at the foot of the Gartnerkofel.
