Mummelsee
Mummelsee features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Black Forest. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Black Forest Black Forest guide
About Mummelsee
The Mummelsee is a small, dark cirque lake on the Schwarzwaldhochstraße in the Northern Black Forest, long wrapped in legends of a water sprite and celebrated in German poetry.
The Mummelsee is a small lake in the Northern Black Forest, near Seebach, lying directly on the Schwarzwaldhochstraße, the Black Forest High Road. It is a cirque lake, described as the largest of the seven cirque lakes in the Black Forest, sitting at about 1,036 metres above sea level and around 17 metres deep. Above it rises the Hornisgrinde, at about 1,163 metres the highest peak of the Northern Black Forest. Its name derives from 'Mummeln', a vernacular term for white water lilies.
Legend holds that a nix, a water sprite or mermaid, lived in the lake and would guide people, dancing, singing and playing with them at night. These stories inspired Eduard Mörike's poem 'Die Geister am Mummelsee', and Grimmelshausen featured the lake in 'Simplicissimus', describing underwater passages leading toward the centre of the Earth. A mountain hotel, the Berghotel Mummelsee, stands at the lakeshore, and the site is a popular roadside stop.
Did you know? The lake's name has nothing to do with monsters. It comes from 'Mummeln', a vernacular word for the white water lilies, Nymphaea alba, though the diminutive 'Mümmlein' is sometimes linked instead to water spirits.
How long is a visit to Mummelsee?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Mummelsee. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Mummelsee worth your time?
Mummelsee is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Black Forest, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Black Forest
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Mummelsee and read more:
Day 2 of the Black Forest in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Mummelsee
Preview the Black Forest tour free in the Gingerguide app.