The Lake Biel (French. Lac de Bienne) is one of the three large Jura lakes in the Switzerland. The region in which it is located becomes appropriate Zealand called and belongs to Mittelland.
The lake has an area of 39.3 km² and is 15 km long and a maximum of 4.1 km wide. Its maximum depth is 74 meters and it holds around 1.12 cubic kilometers of water. This has a retention time of around 58 days.
In the north it comes up against the mountain ranges of the Jura, on whose steep slopes viticulture is practiced.
places
Since the lake is on the language border, most places have a German and a French name. However, not all of them are in use anymore. That is why only the common ones are written in bold, only municipalities are linked.
- Alfermée, Municipality of Tüscherz-Alfermée
- 1 Biel(Bienne) -
- 2 Erlach(Cerlier) -
- Gaicht - Jugy, Twann municipality
- Gerolfingen
- 3 Hagneck -
- 4 Ipsach -
- 5 Le LanderonLands -
- 6 Ligerz(Gléresse) -
- 7 Lüscherz(Locras) -
- 8 Mörigen(Morenges) -
- 9 La NeuvevilleNeuenstadt -
- 10 Nidau -
- Sheepis - Chavanne, La Neuveville municipality
- Schernelz - Cernaux Twann municipality
- 11 Sutz-Lattrigen -
- 12 Tauffelen -
- Tüscherz - Daucher
- 13 Twann(Douanne) -
- 14 Vinelz(Fénil) -
- 15 Vingelz(Vigneules) -
- Wingreis - vingras, Twann municipality
- Saint Peters Island - Ile Saint-PierreErlach and Twann municipality
Except for Le Landeron, the one for the canton Neuchâtel belongs, all other municipalities belong to the canton Bern.
Other goals
- The peninsula, St. Petersinsel
background
To first Jura water correction in 1878, the Aare flowed past the Bielersee, and as a result the lake had a strongly fluctuating lake level, which is not so pronounced nowadays. The main tributary today is the Aare, which flows into Lake Biel at Hagneck, the Zihl, which flows from Lake Neuchâtel into Lake Biel, has been developed into a navigable canal. The other two larger tributaries are the Twannbach and the Schüss. The Aare leaves Lake Biel through the Nidau-Büren Canal, the name of which is derived from the start and end point.
getting there
By train
The easiest way to get to Biel is because the train station is a small junction in the narrow Swiss railway network. There are direct trains from Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
The SBB's southern Jura footline runs along the north bank; the larger towns have their own train stations. The narrow-gauge Aare Seeland, the former Biel-Täuffeln-Ins Bahn, travels along the south bank.
In the street
From Basel via the A2 motorway, at the Härkingen junction, change to the A1 in the direction of Bern. You leave this at the Luterbach junction to get on the A5, which leads via Solothurn to Biel.
The A5 autobahn was to be built on the north bank of Lake Biel. Between Biel and Landeron, however, it is not yet completed, so you drive on main road number 5 on this section.
The A6 motorway / autostrasse leads from Bern, which joins the A16 at Biel-Süd, which forms Biel's southern bypass and then leads into the Jura. There are no major main roads along the south bank.
mobility
Scheduled boats not only operate on Lake Biel, but also to Solothurn (Aare), through the Zihl Canal into Lake Neuchâtel Neuchâtel or further through the Broye Canal into the Murten lake MurtenThere are train and bus lines around the lake. Circumnavigating the lake by bike is possible without any problems. However, there is a very busy road on the north bank, which has at least one two-wheeled lane, usually even a cycle path, but this section of the route cannot be described as family-friendly.
Tourist Attractions
- St. Peters Island
- Many pile dwellings have been found around the Bieersee.
- Biel
- Twann with the Twannbach Gorge
- La Neuville
activities
- A Three lakes tour, from Biel to Murten and back.
- A hike from Erlach over the Heideweg to St.Petersinsel.
- The lake naturally invites you to various water sports activities in summer.
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
trips
- Chassral