The Lake genezareth (Hebrew ים כנרת Jam Kinneret, engl. Sea of Galilee), sometimes too Lake of Tiberias or Sea of Galilee called, lies in the north Israel. Since the Gospels associate various events with the lake and its surroundings, the Sea of Galilee is one of the most famous destinations in the country. A visit here is seldom missing, even on short trips to Israel; for pilgrimages or trips by Christian groups, a stopover is more or less a must.
Regional breakdown
The Sea of Galilee is located in the northern Jordan Rift and is embedded between significantly higher areas. The maximum length of the lake is 21 km, its greatest width is 12 km. There is a flat strip of land around the lake, but some of it is only very narrow; in some places the slopes go down to the lake. The terrain rises sharply on three sides: to the west and north to the mountains of Galilee, the east bank is determined by the ridge of the Golan. Only to the south there are no major differences in elevation; here the area around the lake merges into the southern Jordan Rift without any major elevation differences.
The neighboring regions of the lake are Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee in the north and west and that Bet She'an Valley in the south (here the region also shares a short border with the one east of the Jordan Jordan). East of the lake are the Israeli-occupied ones Golan Heights. Originally, before that Six Day Warthat was enough syrian Territory up to the northeastern edge of the lake (the southeastern part belonged to Israel before).
places
The only big place on the Sea of Galilee is the city Tiberiaswhich is on the west bank. All other places in the area are at most larger villages. Some of them are still known, e.g. because they run hotels or because there are sights. These more well-known places on the west bank include e.g. Kinneret, Migdal and Ginnosar, on the east bank HaOn and En Gev.
Other goals
Many of the other destinations at the lake are associated with biblical accounts:
- Tabgha on the north bank is considered the site of the biblical Feeding the 5000;
- Capernaum was a village that played an important role in the New Testament; some of Jesus' disciples are said to have come from there;
- the Mount of Beatitudes is associated with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; it lies on a hill not far from Tabgha and Capernaum;
- Finally, another important goal is the place of baptism Jardenit, which lies on the southern shore of the lake at the outflow of the Jordan from the lake.
- on the Golan Heights over the east bank lie the ruins of the ancient sites of Gamla and the Decapolis city Hippos (Susita).
background
The Sea of Galilee is the deepest freshwater lake on earth with a height of - 209 to - 215 m below sea level. He is from Jordan flowed through, which its source rivers in the north on Hermon Mountains and which further south into the Dead sea flows out.
The lake is better known than would be expected given its size (it does not even have a third of the area of Lake Constance). The main reason is the frequent mention in the Bible; New Testament stories like that of the calming of the storm (Mk 4,35-41 ) or from the way of Jesus across the water (Mt 14,22-32 ) are practically part of the common cultural property in Europe.
For the Water supply The Sea of Galilee is essential to Israel, as about a quarter of all drinking water comes from this reservoir alone. On the north-western bank at Ginnosar is the pumping station, which pumps the water up through pipes so that it can continue to flow in an open channel in Galiae. There it is brought to drinking water quality and through a widely branched pipe system to the north Negev transported. This system of water supply that State aqueduct (National Water Carrier), is the backbone of Israel's water supply.
The withdrawal of water has a noticeable effect on the lake: in summer, when it has not rained in Israel for months, the level can drop by more than 1 cm per day due to evaporation and the pumping of drinking water from the lake; problems often arise in dry winters that the water level can rise sufficiently when there is little rainfall. Since water is generally a scarce commodity in the region, future negotiations between Israel and its eastern neighbors will Jordan water issue play a significant role.
In recent years, the water abstraction has been severely restricted by the Israeli water supply authority, and desalinated seawater is increasingly being used in the National Water Carrier fed in to ensure the water supply and no longer have to free up the lake as a drinking water reservoir. Since 2018 there have been plans to supply the lake with desalinated seawater from the Mediterranean coast through a tunnel. In the winter months of 2018/9, after abundant rainfall, the level in the Sea of Galilee rose to a multi-year high.
For the water level of the Sea of Galilee, an upper and lower red line was defined, the high water mark at - 209 m, from which the locks at Deganja in the Jordan Valley are opened for water drainage, and the low water mark at - 213 m, below which no more water is withdrawn from the lake is permissible. The black line at - 215 m corresponds to the lowest water level ever measured since the beginning of measurements in 1926, which was reached in the course of a dry period in November 2001 and below which the ecological balance in the lake threatens to overturn.
For the Settlement history of the modern state of Israel, the surroundings of the lake were also significant. The first kibbutz or community settlement was established on its south bank as early as 1910 Degania founded, based on the example of which more than 250 other settlements were later built. There are still some kibbuzzim around the lake; some of them offer overnight accommodation, e.g. En Gev, Ginnosar as Ma'agan at the southernmost point of the lake (a holiday village is attached to the kibbutz) and HaOnwhich is just a few kilometers east of it directly on the beach; In HaOn there is an ostrich farm, next to it is a holiday village with 96 small apartments.
The fact that the lake is an important bathing lake contributes to the popularity of the lake with tourists, in addition to the large number of important sights.
language
In the places around the lake, Hebrew is mainly spoken, while Arabic, which is also widespread in Israel, hardly plays a role. With English one gets along well everywhere, however, in some cases German is also understood. Russian is also widespread, especially in Tiberias and the places on the west bank, due to the large number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
getting there
By plane
There is no airport in the region; the preferred airport for arrival is the Ben Gurion Airport at Tel Aviv. From there, the easiest way to get to the area around the lake is by rental car. If you rely on public transport, you can take the train to Tel Aviv or Haifa and then continue by bus.
By train
The Sea of Galilee is not connected to the rail network and it is not possible to travel by train. The nearest train stations are along the coast, e.g. in Haifa.
By bus
The region can be easily reached by bus. The journey usually takes place via the bus station in Tiberias, in some cases the places on the lake can also be approached directly with supra-regional lines (cf. the information in the local articles, if already created). There are regular bus connections to the region from, among others Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Kirjat Schmona, Safed and Afula.
In the street
The road 90, which comes from Kirjat Schmona in the north and crosses the region parallel to the Jordan, continues to the south (Bet She'an, West Bank, Dead Sea, Eilat) leads. The main road coming from the west is road 77 from Kirjat Tiv'on in the northwest Jezreel plain above Lower Galilee to Tiberias; This road and its various feeders will usually be chosen when coming from the coast, e.g. from Haifa, or from the highways and roads on the coast.
mobility
The easiest way to get around the Sea of Galilee is with a rental car. On the well-developed roads 90, 87 and 92 (clockwise, starting on the west side) you can easily go around the lake and pass most of the important places and sights.
If you rely on public transport, only buses remain. This is not a major problem on the west side of the lake: Various bus routes run along road 90 from Tiberias, so you can reach the destinations on the west bank quite easily because the connection density is quite high. However, in many places you have to expect a short walk (up to approx. 15 minutes). On the other hand, it is difficult if you want to visit the northern and eastern shores of the lake: There are only a few buses here, so that you have to find out about the connections in question in advance if necessary.
Tourist Attractions
One of the main attractions of the region is the Sea of Galilee itself; Especially from the higher lying areas around the lake there are impressive views of the large expanse of water, which is framed all around by the rugged slopes.
Most of the top destinations for Christian travelers are on the northwestern shores of the lake: Capernaum, home of some of the disciples of Jesus, the Mount of Beatitudes as Tabgha with its two churches, which commemorate the feeding of the 5000 and the establishment of the papacy. For tourists in the footsteps of Jesus are also Ginnosar with his 2000 year old fishing boat and the baptism site in Jardenit Interesting.
Tiberias, the main town on the lake, has a beautiful promenade on the lake; The graves of Jewish scholars and the excavations in Hamat Tiberias are worth seeing.
activities
In addition to the typical tours from one sight to the next, there are other options for vacation planning on the Sea of Galilee. Bathing is an important activity; There are beaches in many places around the lake where this is possible. In Tiberias there are also hot springs (Tiberias Hot Springs). The trip across the lake in excursion boats is popular, some of which are modeled on antique fishing boats.
Finally, you can hike in various places in the area, there are nature reserves (including the River Jordan Park with the archaeological site of Bethsaida and some other special offers such as the ostrich farm in HaOn.
kitchen
A specialty of the regional cuisine is the so-called “St. Peter fish” or “Petrus fish”. This fish lives in the Sea of Galilee and in the Jordan and is often offered as a specialty around the lake and further downstream. Although it is full of bones, it is considered to be very delicate.
nightlife
The center of nightlife is Tiberias, especially the downtown areas near the lake. Here you will find various bars and pubs that are open well into the night. In the other villages on the lake, it is usually more tranquil in the evenings.
There is a cafeteria with a beautiful terrace for the guests of the Tabgha pilgrim house.
security
There are no particular security risks at the Sea of Galilee; in general it is rather quiet in the region.
climate
| Tiberias | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean highest air temperature in ° C | 18 | 19 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 19 | O | 26.8 |
| Mean lowest air temperature in ° C | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 12 | O | 16.1 |
| Rainy days in the month | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | Σ | 38 |
The climate at the Sea of Galilee (and in the Jordan Valley to the south) is generally warm to hot and humid. This is partly due to the low altitude of -200 m, and partly to the fact that the prevailing westerly winds warm up when they fall into the Jordan Rift (like the foehn in the Alps).
The winters are frost-free and less rainy than on the coast and in the mountains. In summer it is often hot and stuffy, and it hardly cools down in the evenings. The climate is so warm that very sensitive plants such as bananas can be grown in the area around the lake.
Practical advice
The name "Sea of Galilee", known to us from the Bible, arose from a not very successful transfer of the name through various translations and is used in Israel not understood. The lake is called "Kinneret" or English called "Sea of Galilee". So if you are asked about your travel destination or place of origin while driving through the Jordan Valley, it makes sense not to state "Galilee", this could lead to lengthy discussions about what you are planning to do in Nazareth ...
literature
Web links
- Water Level of Lake Kinneret, engl .; Information about the state of filling of the Sea of Galilee.
