An Electric Passenger Boat Crossing The Konigssee Lake. Stock Photo

The Konigssee is a natural lake in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Most of the lake is within the Berchtesgaden National Park. Situated within the Berchtesgaden Alps in the municipality of Schonau am Konigsee, just south of Berchtesgaden and the Austrian city of Salzburg, the Konigssee is Germany`s third deepest lake. Located at a Jurassic rift, it was formed by glaciers during the last ice age. The lake is noted for its clear water and is advertised as the cleanest lake in Germany. For this reason, only electric-powered passenger ships, rowing, and pedal boats have been permitted on the lake since 1909. Due to its picturesque setting, the lake and surrounding parklands are very popular with tourists and hikers. In addition, the surrounding sheer rock walls create an echo known for its clarity. On boat tours, it has become traditional to stop and play a flugelhorn or trumpet to demonstrate the echo. Previously demonstrated by shooting a cannon, the echo can be heard to reverberate up to seven times. The trumpeter plays along with the echo, so that there can seem to be as many as seven players. Germany, Europe