An artificial lake in the western part of South Tyrol, 2 km south of the Reschen Pass on the Austrian border, held back by a dam finished in July 1950. At 6.6 km² it is the largest lake in the province and the largest above 1,000 m in the Alps. Filling it drowned the village of Graun and part of Reschen — 163 homes and 523 hectares of farmland — and left the 14th-century church steeple standing above the water, which is what most people come to see.
Lake Resia
Local name: Lago di Resia
The bells came out of the tower on 18 July 1950, a week before the church nave was demolished — the winter ringing people talk about is a legend, not a memory.
- Entrance
- Free — open lakeshore, no ticket or gate.
- Parking
- Paid car parks by the lake; the nearest public one is about 700 m from the shore. A second car park nearby is closed to the public.
- Transport
- Bus stop «Graun, See - Curon, Lago» about 850 m from the shore; a second stop lies around 630 m away. Route numbers are not given in the sources.
What makes it special
A stone church steeple stands out in the water, and the village it belonged to is underneath it. When the dam closed in July 1950 the rising lake took Graun and part of Reschen with it — 163 homes and 523 hectares of farmland — and the 14th-century tower was left where it stood, above the surface.
In winter the lake freezes and the tower can be reached on foot. The rest of the year it sits in open water, with the border ridges on the skyline: the Reschen Pass into Austria is 2 km north, the Swiss ridge 3 km west. Around the shore the lake is used for walking, cycling and watersports.
Good to know
- Wind: the shore is open and a cold wind off the water can cut a visit short. Bring a jacket and a hat whatever the valley weather looks like.
- No toilets: there are none within reach of the lake. A drinking-water point and an information board are the only facilities nearby.
- The village: Graun was rebuilt beside the lake after the flooding, and a new church replaces the one left standing in the water.
- On foot: a path follows at least one side of the lake, and the shore is also used for cycling and watersports.
Getting there
Cars do not reach the water's edge. The nearest public car park sits about 700 m back from the shore, and a second one close by is shut to the public, so the last stretch is on foot either way. Buses stop at Graun by the lake, roughly 850 m out, with another stop about 630 m from the water. From all of them the approach runs along the lake, with the tower in view for most of the way.
Best time to visit
Better: deep winter, once the lake has frozen through — that is when the tower stops being something looked at from the bank and becomes somewhere you can walk to.
Avoid: the first weeks of the freeze. In late December the surface can look complete and still not bear weight.
Wind decides the rest of the year. The shore is open, and a cold wind off the water ends a visit sooner than the forecast suggests.
Sun & daylight
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Lake Resia on the map
In some winters the lake freezes hard enough to walk out to the tower, and in others it does not: in late December the ice can look complete and still be too thin to stand on. Do not go out on it on the strength of a photograph — ask in the village first.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is there a church tower standing in the lake?
The lake is a reservoir. The dam, begun in April 1940 and finished in July 1950, raised the water over the village of Graun and part of Reschen — 163 homes and 523 hectares of cultivated land in all. The 14th-century church steeple was left standing and still marks where the village was.Can you walk out to the tower?
In winter, when the lake freezes over, the tower can be reached on foot across the ice. The ice is not dependable every year or every month — in late December it can be frozen and still too thin — so check locally before setting out. For the rest of the year the tower stands in open water.How big is the lake?
A surface of 6.6 km² and a capacity of 120 million m³, which makes it the largest lake in the province of Bolzano and the largest above 1,000 m in the Alps. It is fed by the Adige, the Rojenbach and the Karlinbach, and drained by the Adige.