Arresø () is the largest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, by area, in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. It covers 40,72 km² (15.39 sq mi) and is situated on the island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

43 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

as the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...

. Arresø is located in the northern parts of Zealand in the region of

Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark ( da, Region Hovedstaden, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 August 2021 the chairperson ...

just north of Ølsted and east of Frederiksværk. It is a part of the three municipalities

Gribskov Gribskov (Grib Forest) is Denmark's fourth largest forest, comprising c. 5,600 ha of woodland situated in northern Zealand, west and south of Lake Esrum. The forest is owned and administered by the State of Denmark, and a part of the Kongernes N ...

, Halsnæs, and

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)Roskilde Fjord Roskilde Fjord is the fjord north of Roskilde, Denmark. It is a long branch of the Isefjord. Cities The cities Frederiksværk, Frederikssund, Jægerspris, Jyllinge and Roskilde (including Himmelev), (home to the famous Roskilde Festival), all ...

through the Arresø Canal in Frederiksværk. The artificial canal was begun around 1717 by royal command, and the work was carried out by Danish soldiers and Swedish POWs. OelstedOgArresoe

There are a number of rivers and streams running into Arresø of which the Pøleå is the most significant. The landscape is especially hilly along the lake's west side. Among these ridges are Maglehøj in the town of Frederiksværk and Arrenakke Hills, which has views of the lake. East of Frederiksværk, the Arrenæs peninsula juts out into the lake. Historically, Arresø was a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icel ...

, having extended northwards as Brødemose Sund, connected to

Kattegat The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in Sweden ...

, but the land northwest of here rose after the last Ice Age, locking the waters in and creating the lake. Arresø has a rich bird and floral life. Sea eagles have returned as nesting birds, and

beavers Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

have been reintroduced. The lake is included in the Kongernes Nordsjælland National Park. The renovated wooden ship M/S Frederikke offers boat tours on the lake between May and September, embarking from Arresødal.

Sources

Arresø
Danish Nature Agency * http://www.msfrederikke.dk/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Arreso Lakes of Zealand