Europa - Green Lake

The Green Lake in the Styrian municipality of Tragöß – St. Katharein captivates with its emerald green colour.

"Underwater fauna and flora" is this year's theme for the EUROPA stamps, which have been issued since 1956 as a unifying symbol of integration and cooperation within Europe by European postal services. The photo of the Austrian motif was taken by diver and underwater photographer Heinz Toperczer, who became famous for his photo of a diver in the mouth of a whale. The Green Lake is a karst lake and is protected as a nature reserve. As the snow melts, it fills with ice-cold, clear water and reaches a depth of up to eleven meters in early summer, depending on the winter's precipitation. Meadows, benches, hiking trails, and footbridges disappear under the lake, but can still be seen beneath the water's surface. Over the course of the year, the water level drops again, and by winter, the lake can even dry out completely.