The Park at the Bottom of a Lake

There is a small turquoise lake thrown in the middle of mountains and forest in Styria, Austria in a village named Tragöß.

It is called Green Lake (Gruner See) because of the green reflection of the forest surrounding it and the vegetation at the bottom of it. It’s not very large, quite small actually and only 7 feet deep.

In this lake, there is a small park with nice little pathways and wooden benches. Evergreens around and nice short green weed everywhere and a small bridge going over the water.

Grüner see with crystal clear water in Austrian Alps Grüner See in der Steiermark Green Lake in Styria Austria.European Alps. dark clouds reflection in the mountain lake. View of Green Lake in the Alps, Tragöß, Austria

Gruener See, European Alps.Dark clouds reflection in the mountain lake.

Typical European evergreen forest surrounded by high mountain peaks. This is the winter story of the Green Lake.  For people living in this area, this is a great place to go for a walk in the beautiful outdoors.

 

 

Spring tells a different story for the same place. Temperature rises, and the snow from the mountains all around melts and fills the valley.

Hundreds of small springs rush down to feed this lake with water of the purest kind. Making the lake bigger in size and reaching a depth of 15 feet in mid-May. When that happens, the color of the lake becomes even richer and more emerald green.

The lake grows and swallows up the park around it. All of a sudden the pathways are not walk-able anymore, wooden benches can’t be used for sitting down (without getting wet), and the bridge becomes meaningless.

 

It used to be a popular scuba diving site and a lot of tourists were visiting this place exactly for that unique experience it provides.  Being underwater while all around the scenery is like walking through the woods.

However, because of the sensitive environment, the use of the lake for all kinds of, water sports activities have been prohibited since 2016. This lake houses and supports all kinds of fauna from small snails and little crabs to fresh water trout. It is very interesting to see how the small trees and bushes that are completely under water still continue to function perfectly and succeed in blooming flowers.