Der Toplitzsee

Today I want to entertain you with some info/photos of the mysterious Toplitzsee or Lake Toplitz. It is a little lake in the Salzkammergut and in fact bears some resemblance to the famous Loch Ness in Scottland. First the lake is not accessible very well because it is situated in a mountain basin with very steep hillsides around. Actually there is only one point where you have easy access and only one small road leading there.

Second the lake is very deep, more than 100 meters, and very dark, due to the depth and the mud you find on the bottom which usually rests there in complete silence and can be stirred up quite easily. It contains no oxygen below 20 meters so the fish you get live in this layer and cannot settle any deeper. The Toplitzwurm lives there - a worm that does not need light nor oxygen to survive.

And third the lake is a very dangerous place for divers too which makes it hard to explore the place. Over the centuries lots of timber has rolled from the steep hillsides into the lake, having sunk to the bottom but nothing rots because of the lack of oxygen, so there is basically this lose layer of easy moving wood somewhere down in the black waters....

During the last days of the Nazi regime it is said that the Führer ordered many secret wooden boxes to be plunged into the Toplitzsee to keep them secured, and indeed some contemporary witnesses exist who claim that they have actually seen this happening. The speculations are aplenty, what did the Nazi drown there? The gold reserves of the Third Reich? Money? Secret plans and inventions? Even the Russian Amber room is whispered to rest down there. In fact a large box with fake English pound notes has been rescued from the lake bottom, as proof that they actually hid something there, but not much else has been found since then. Not that people have not tried.

If you are interested check the web for the lots of myths that have evolved around the Toplitzsee! I sure had fun doing that - you find everything: Murder, hidden treasures, strange things happening... But one has to say that the exploration of the lake (and the hunt for lost treasures) has definately taken its toll: People died trying to explore the Toplitzsee underwater and lots of money has been spend for - not a lot. Still it is a lovely place to go for a trip when you are in the area, especially on a warm and sunny Fall day where it looks just peaceful...

Even the getting there is lovely. Coming from Bad Aussee you park the car at the little parking area at Grundelsee, then you just follow the small dirt road into the Klamm.

After a not too long walk through wonderful nature - and hopefully not too many tourists - you finally reach the Toplitzsee.

It is hard to make photos of the whole lake, because it means following another tiny path and crawling through a lot of underwood. The best way to take photos is probably from a small boat, but they only run in Summer. If you look closely on the trailguide you see a picture of the whole stretch of the lake - it definately is a very inaccessible place.

From here the little boats venture out in Summer. Now the place is almost remote and nature can take a deep Autumn breath until next year.

The Fischerhütte, the little restaurant there, was still open, so we of course did not hesitate to walk in and have some nice snack. I can definately recommend the "Erbsensuppe mit Würstchen" and the "Guyassuppe", the staff was very nice and friendly, even though - when asked - one of the waitresses told me that they were absolutely ready for their Winter break. Tourists storm the place in Spring and Summer, and they are not only treasure hunting but also in urgent demand of food after all the "raiding"... http://www.toplitzsee.at/seiten/fischerhuette.html

All in all I have to say that we had a good time going there. We did not find any treasures (maybe because we were not looking for them?), but it was a day full of sunshine, Autumn colours and nice memories for keeps. Whatever is hidden in the black, still waters of the Lake Toplitz - may it rest in peace. Sometimes forgotten things better stay forgotten... and they certainly will help to keep up the mysterious charisma of the small and actually very charming Toplitzsee.