Zireiner See (also known as the Jewel of Rofan or Blue Eye of Rofan) is a mountain lake in Tyrol, Austria, located in the Brandenberg Alps at an elevation of above sea level. It covers an area of approximately , sitting in a hollow bounded by Rosskogel at to the east, Latschberg at to the south, at to the southwest, and the foothills of Marchspitze at to the west and north. At its western end, the lake is fed by a natural spring.
Geography and Access Accessing the lake became significantly more difficult after the closure of the Sonnwendjochbahn I and II chairlift system, which ceased operations in 2015 before its permanent closure was officially confirmed in 2016. While the former route from the Sonnwendjochbahn II's top station required a 1.5-hour round-trip walk, reaching the lake from the same valley floor trailhead (a parking lot in Kramsach) now requires an 8.5-hour round-trip hike with of elevation change.
One of the fastest access routes is a 4-to-5-hour round-trip hike from the top station of the () via the Schafsteig trail.
The lake is a waypoint on Stage 07 of the Eagle Walk (Adlerweg) between Jausenstation Waldhäusl and Erfurter Hütte, as well as on the E4 European long-distance trail's stage between Steinberg am Rofan and Maurach.
Culture and Legend A local legend tells the story of a shepherd who used clay from the Zireiner See to repair his house and build a stove on the advice of a mysterious stranger. The following morning, the clay had transformed into gold. According to the tale, when the shepherd returned to the lake to gather more, the transmuting clay had disappeared.
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Beschreibung des Zireiner Sees
References