Lake Stechlin or Großer Stechlinsee is a

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 ...

in Landkreis Oberhavel,

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At an elevation of 60 m, its surface area is 4.52 km². The Stechlin cisco, a dwarfed fish, is found only in this lake.

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known toda ...

's last novel, '' Der Stechlin'', was set in its vicinity. Stechlinsee has a maximum depth of 69.5 metres, making it the deepest lake in the State of Brandenburg. It is also one of the clearest with a visual depth of up to 11 metres (average 6 metres). The water is of drinking quality. It is home to the

Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of math ...

. The Stechlin district is still one of the most important oligotrophic landscapes of Central Europe and a LIFE project was undertaken for the restoration of clear water lakes, mires and swamp forests of the Lake Stechlin. On 22 March 2012 The Global Nature Fund announced Lake Stechlin as the "Living Lake of the Year 2012".

References

External links

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International Lake Environment Committee: Lake Stechlin
Lakes of Brandenburg Oberhavel LGrosserStechlinsee {{Brandenburg-geo-stub