Lake Murten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lake Murten Lac de Morat Murtensee |
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| Coordinates | |
| Primary sources | Broye |
| Primary outflows | Broye canal |
| Catchment area | 693 km² |
| Basin countries | Switzerland |
| Max-length | 8.2 km |
| Max-width | 2.8 km |
| Surface area | 22.8 km² |
| Max-depth | 45 m |
| Water volume | 0.55 km³ |
| Residence time (of lake water) | 1.6 years |
| Surface elevation | 429 m |
| Islands | La Grande Ile (islet) |
| Settlements | Murten |
Lake Murten (German: Murtensee; French: Lac de Morat) is a lake in the west of Switzerland. It is the smallest of the three lakes in the Jura region, with Lake Biel and Lake Neuchâtel being the other two. On its southern shores is located the small town of Murten which gives the lake its name.
It lies approximately at co-ordinates . The surface area of the lake is 22.8 km². It is located in the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud. The main tributary is the river Broye. Water leaves the lake through the Broye Canal (Canal de la Broye) which leads into Lake Neuchâtel.
The lake —together with nearby Lake Neuchâtel— is important to retain water from the river Aar in times of heavy rainfall in the Alps. This helps protecting densely populated areas, such as around the city of Bern. This can lead to the peculiar situation that the water in the lake flows "backwards".
Lake Murten is 8.2 km long and up to 2.8 km wide. Its maximal depth is 45 m. The volume of the lake is approximately 0.55 km³. The total catchment area is 693 km². The water remains in the lake for an average 1.6 years.
