Lake Zürich (Swiss German/Alemannic: Zürisee; German: Zürichsee) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the town of Zürich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich.
Geographically, Lake Zürich is located in the southwestern part of the canton of Zürich. To the east of the lake are two minor lakes, Greifensee (Lake Greifen) and Pfäffikersee (Lake Pfäffikon).
It is formed by the river Linth, which, rising in the glaciers of the Tödi Range in Glarus, was diverted by the Escher canal (completed in 1811) into the Lake Walen, whence, by means of the Linth canal (completed in 1816), its waters are carried to the east end of the lake of Zürich. This river issues from the lake at its north-west end, passing through the town of Zürich, but is then called the Limmat.
No streams of importance flow into the lake. It is included, or the greater portion, in the Canton of Zürich, but at its east end about 20 km2 towards the southern shore are in that of Schwyz, and 10 km2 towards its northern shore in that of St. Gallen. The great dam of masonry (the Seedamm), carrying the railway line and road from Rapperswil to Pfäffikon, divides the lake. The eastern section of the lake is known as the Obersee, German for "upper lake". West of this dam lie the small islands of Lützelau and Ufenau, where in 1523 Ulrich von Hutten took refuge and died. Both shores are well cultivated and fertile.
The only three nodal points are Zürich, Pfäffikon SZ and Rapperswil.
Beyond Bürkliplatz in Zürich and the Seedamm, there are no bridges across the lake. There are a few ferry services, noticeably the car ferry between Horgen and Meilen.
The lake was frozen in the following years
1223, 1259, 1262
1407, 1491
1514, 1517, 1573
1600, 1660, 1684, 1695
1709, 1716, 1718, 1740, 1755, 1763, 1789
1830, 1880, 1891, 1895
1929, 1963
