Seeüberquerung Tutzing–Ammerland

At the widest stretch of Lake Starnberg, the opposite shore looks deceptively distant across more than four kilometers of deep glacial water. The Seeüberquerung Tutzing–Ammerland is an open water swimming race in the waters of Lake Starnberg, held in Tutzing in Bavaria, Germany. Setting out from the western lakefront and finishing at the Ammerland water rescue station on the eastern bank, the crossing covers a distance of 4,200 meters. It takes swimmers straight through the expansive midsection of the lake. The event was originally created for amateur athletes who dreamed of swimming across the widest part of Lake Starnberg between Tutzing and Ammerland but did not dare to attempt the journey alone.

To make the long crossing accessible and secure, the race is organized by the Wasserwacht Ammerland. Lifeguards and rescue boats drawn from various stations around the lake accompany the pack across the water, providing reassurance from bank to bank. Taking to the open water in a supervised group turns a daunting distance into a shared traverse. The swim requires a minimum water temperature of 18°C (64 °F), alongside general weather checks to ensure viable conditions. In a past edition, swimmers registered an in-water reading of 19 degrees Celsius. Wetsuits are permitted and recommended to protect against cold during the crossing, though in past events some participants turned to tradition by covering their skin with thick layers of milking grease. Fins are not allowed, ensuring that every entrant completes the crossing unaided. Depending on lake water levels, the swim course can shift slightly, and in a past edition, high water extended the route by three meters.

The glacial trough and the deep Allmannshauser Steilwand

The entire basin of Lake Starnberg was carved out during the Würm glaciation by the Isar-Loisach glacier. Lake Starnberg measures 21 kilometers in length and 5 kilometers across at its widest point, plunging to a maximum depth of 128 meters. The lake holds an immense volume of water with a slow exchange rate, taking approximately 21 years to renew its entire volume. The lake is celebrated for its excellent water quality, which makes it ideal for open water sports. The lake's deep body is fed by several regional waterways. On the western side, the Rötlbach serves as the primary tributary to Lake Starnberg. This stream collects water from various ponds and ditches across the Eberfinger Drumlinfeld, including the Bernrieder Weiher, Auweiher, and Gallaweiher, flowing northeast from the hamlet of Karra until it reaches its mouth at Karpfenwinkel.

Across on the southeastern side, the Salchstattbach originates west of Holzhausen and flows down toward the lake near Seeheim, with some of its waters seeping into quaternary gravel deposits before meeting the lake. Beneath the surface along the middle eastern shoreline near the village of Allmannshausen lies the Allmannshauser Steilwand. This submerged rock face is the steepest and deepest underwater cliff in German inland waters, dropping in stages to a depth of roughly 70 meters. Beyond the vertical rock face, the lake floor slopes downward to reach the deepest recorded point of the lake at 127.8 meters. The area is protected within a nature reserve where diving is prohibited from November 1st to March 15th. Swimmers occasionally joke about legendary large wels catfish lurking in the lake, but the open surface offers clean, uninterrupted swimming.

Prehistoric canoes and royal memories on Lake Starnberg

Off the western shore near Feldafing lies Rose Island, the only island situated in Lake Starnberg, covering roughly 2.5 hectares. Archaeological excavations conducted on the island revealed prehistoric pile dwellings, bronze fishhooks, and dugout canoes dating back to the 8th or 9th century BC. In recognition of these ancient submerged pile dwellings, the island was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011. These ancient vessels reflect a heritage of navigating the lake that reaches back millennia. At the town of Berg along the shore, a votive chapel and a simple wooden cross commemorate the death of King Ludwig II, who died in the lake in 1886. Decades later, the water's surface hosted an extraordinary milestone in high-speed experimentation. In February 1929, rocket pioneer Max Valier piloted his rocket-powered sled, named Rak BOB II, across the ice, reaching a speed of 400 km/h. The surrounding countryside holds several smaller glacial water bodies that share this post-glacial landscape.

Tutzing: from medieval fishing hamlet to lakeshore promenade

Tutzing sits on the western shore of Lake Starnberg. For centuries it remained a simple fishing village, retaining that character until the 19th century. Disputes over fishing rights between court fishermen and the Tutzing manor occurred repeatedly from the 16th century onward. That local heritage continues to be celebrated along the shore with a traditional fisherman's wedding celebration. The lakeshore landscape evolved when Maximilian Ernst von Götzengrien commissioned a castle with a baroque facade directly on the water's edge. Over time, historical figures and artists built magnificent castles and elegant villas along the shoreline. Today, a 46-kilometer-long path runs along the perimeter of the lake, with 20 kilometers of the shore exclusively dedicated to recreation. In Tutzing, a museum ship houses a cafe and bistro, giving swimmers a place to sit with refreshments.