Attersee is the largest lake in the Salzkammergut and the largest lake wholly within Austria.
Also called Kammersee or Lake Atter, it covers about 46.2 square kilometres in Upper Austria. It stretches nearly 19 kilometres from north to south and reaches approximately 169 metres at its deepest point. The Seeache carries water into the lake from Mondsee, while the Ager River carries water onward toward the Traun and Danube.
The wording “wholly within Austria” matters. Lake Constance and Lake Neusiedl are larger by total area, but both cross Austria’s borders. Attersee is therefore Austria’s largest entirely national lake, even though it ranks third when those transboundary waters are included.
The shoreline has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and pile-dwelling remains found near Seewalchen form part of the UNESCO prehistoric pile dwellings heritage. The lake is also known for sailing, swimming and Gustav Klimt’s Attersee paintings.