BRIENZ

brienz, lake of, in the swiss canton of bern, the first lake into which the river aar expands. it lies in a deep hollow between the village of brienz on the east (2580 inhabitants, the chief centre of the swiss wood-carving industry) and, on the west, bonigen (1515 inhabitants), close to interlaken. its length is about 9 m., its width 11⁄2 m., and its maximum depth 856 ft., while its area is 111⁄2 sq. m., and the surface is 1857 ft. above the sea-level. on the south shore are the giessbach falls and the hamlet of iseltwald. on the north shore are a few small villages. the character of the lake is gloomy and sad as compared with its neighbour, that of thun. its chief affluent is the lutschine (flowing from the valleys of grindelwald and lauterbrunnen). the first steamer was placed on the lake in 1839. (w. a. b. c.)