Lake Steinhude, german: Steinhuder Meer, , 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 lar ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

located northwest of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

. Named after the nearby village of Steinhude, it has an area of about , making it the largest lake of northwestern Germany. At the same time, Lake Steinhude is very shallow, with an average depth of only and a maximum depth of less than . It lies within a region known as the Hanoverian Moor Geest.

Geology

It is part of the glacial landscape formed after the recession of the glaciers of the latest

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, the

Weichselian glaciation The Weichselian glaciation was the last glacial period and its associated glaciation in northern parts of Europe. In the Alpine region it corresponds to the Würm glaciation. It was characterized by a large ice sheet (the Fenno-Scandian ice sheet) ...

. There are two theories regarding how the lake of Steinhude was formed. One of them says that glaciers gouged out the hole and meltwater filled it. The other theory states that an ice storm formed the hole and as the groundwater rose, the lake was created."Wie das Steinhuder Meer entstand"
/ref> In its middle there is a small artificial island carrying an 18th-century fortification, the ''Wilhelmstein''. Today the lake is the heart of a nature reserve, the

Steinhuder Meer Nature Park The Steinhuder Meer Nature Park (german: Naturpark Steinhuder Meer), with northwest Germany's largest inland lake, the Steinhuder Meer, at its heart, covers an area of within the districts of Nienburg and Schaumburg and the region of Hanover. The ...

, and is also used as a recreational area.

Islands

The lake has two islands, both of them artificial: * Wilhelmstein () off Hagenburg was built between 1761 and 1765. It was turned into a military fortress between 1765 and 1767 by William, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. Afterwards it briefly served as military school (one of its graduates was Gerhard von Scharnhorst who later became Chief of the Prussian General Staff). From 1777 until 1867 the island was used as state prison of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. * Badeinsel Steinhude () was built in 1974-75 using sand retrieved from the lake. It has a sandy beach which is popular during summer; a service centre is available. Access to the island is via an pedestrian bridge from Steinhude. Steinhude Undines Traum

Tourism

The lake is a popular destination for locals and for vacationists. Up to three ships offer cruises; they are supplemented by smaller boats running on schedule across the lake. A bike path approximately long encircles the lake, crossing various landscapes.

References

External links

Steinhuder Meer Nature Park
* {{Authority control Ramsar sites in Germany Lakes of Lower Saxony LSteinhuderMeer