Lake Wolfgang, or Wolfgangsee in German, is not just a picturesque lake in Austria, but a place steeped in history. It is a highlight of the Salzkammergut resort region and is bordered by the municipalities of Strobl, St. Gilgen, and the market town of St. Wolfgang, with notable villages such as Abersee and Ried. The lake and town are named after Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg, who is believed to have constructed the first church in the area in the late 10th century, a testament to its rich past.
The lake, spanning approximately 10.5 kilometers in length, is a natural wonder divided by a narrow peninsula called ‘die Enge,’ creating two distinct parts. The western section near St. Gilgen is known as Abersee. Covering an area between 12.9 to 13.1 square kilometers, Lake Wolfgang is surrounded by the majestic Salzkammergut mountains. The northern side features the Schafberg mountain, accessible via the Schafbergbahn rack railway, which reaches a summit of 1,782 meters. The southern and southwestern regions are dominated by the Osterhorngruppe mountains, with peaks rising up to 1,800 meters. The Zwölferhorn, directly south of St. Gilgen, stands at 1,522 meters and can be reached by cable car.
The lake is a popular summer destination, particularly in St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen. The Gasthaus Weißes Rössl in St. Wolfgang gained fame as the setting for the 1897 operetta “The White Horse Inn” by Ralph Benatzky. The area also serves as a backdrop for several Heimatfilm movies, which idealize the untouched alpine landscape. Notably, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl vacationed here for many years, and in 1998, filmmaker Christoph Schlingensief utilized the lake for his Chance 2000 project, inviting Germany’s unemployed to flood Kohl’s residence.
Transportation to and around Lake Wolfgang is facilitated by the Bundesstraße B158, which runs along the southern shore, connecting Bad Ischl to Salzburg. From St. Gilgen, the B154 highway leads to the A1 Westautobahn motorway. Although the Salzkammergut-Lokalbahn narrow gauge railway ceased operations in 1957, ship transport on the lake is maintained by Salzburg AG, operating six vessels to service the region.
