Lake Neusiedl

Lake Neusiedl or Lake Fertő, is the largest endorheic lake in Central and Western Europe, as well as the second largest in Europe after The Caspian Sea, straddling Austria and Hungary. The lake is saline and covers 315 km2 (122 sq mi), of which 240 km2 (93 sq mi) is on the Austrian side and 75 km2 (29 sq mi) on the Hungarian side. Its drainage basin is about 1,120 km2 (430 sq mi), about three times its size excluding the lake itself. From north to south, the lake is about 36 km (22 mi) long, and it is between 6 km (3+1⁄2 mi) and 12 km (7+1⁄2 mi) wide from east to west. On average, its surface is 115.45 m (378.8 ft) above the Adriatic Sea and it is no more than 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) deep. The surrounding landscape has been occupied since about 6000 BC, and the towns and villages around the lake have been trading and meeting points for local people and wider cultures for centuries. Given its cultural importance and the often handed-down, rustic architecture of the villages, Lake Neusiedl and environs is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001.