Egelsee (Mauren–Tosters Border Lake)

Egelsee Mauren/FL - Tosters/AT
The Egelsee is a lake in the Austrian-Liechtenstein border area between the AT/Feldkirch district of Tosters and the Liechtenstein municipality of FL/Mauren. The state border between the Republic of Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein runs through the lake.
Originally a glacial lake, it was drained around 1830 by Alois Negrelli, who was working as a young hydraulic engineer in Vorarlberg at the time, and was subsequently a swamp area. In 2011, the state of Vorarlberg and the Principality of Liechtenstein agreed to reactivate the Egelsee after almost 200 years in order to avoid flooding on the Liechtenstein side. The construction project was completed in 2013. As part of the construction costs of around 2.9 million euros, which were borne proportionately by the Republic of Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein, the lake was expanded into a retention pond and a new cycle and walking path was built around it. With a total retention volume of 40,000 m³, the Egelsee now provides flood protection for the Liechtenstein municipality of Mauren.