Brabrand Lake ( da, Brabrand-søen or Brabrand Sø) is a lake in the district of

Brabrand Brabrand () is a postal district of Aarhus Municipality, Denmark. South of Brabrand, in the Aarhus river-valley, is the largest recreational area of Aarhus Municipality, comprising the Brabrand Lake and the meadow-lake of Årslev, with surroundin ...

(Gellerup), west of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

city,

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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The

Aarhus River Aarhus River ( da, Århus Å) is a long river or stream, in eastern Jutland, Denmark. The river flows through the large river valley of Aarhus Ådal. The valley itself, stretches from Silkeborg to the coastal city of Aarhus, but the Aarhus River ...

passes through Brabrand Lake and it is possible to

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

all the way to the inner city from here. The lake is oblong-shaped. Since 2003, Brabrand Lake has been steadily extended 3–4 km further west, with the new lake of Årslev Engsø (lit.: Årslev meadow-lake). In 2001–2, it was politically decided to abandon the artificial draining of the meadows and as of 2013, Årslev meadow lake has a surface area of around . The total area including adjoining meadows and

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

s totals . It is hoped that Eurasian bittern and

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

will find themselves a new home here with time. In everyday parlance, "Brabrand Lake" is a general term including the surroundings as well, indicating a total area of around with for the lake alone. A special

Natura2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

protected area under the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, Brabrand Lake is home to a large variety of birds and an important resting place for migrating birds, with several towers built to facilitate bird-watching. A public hiking trail surrounds the lake, whose landscape varies from wide meadows and reed beds to dense woods. Privately owned pastures almost completely surround the lake and are not publicly accessible, but public paths leading to the lake are scattered in between. There are several garden allotments ("kolonihaver" in Danish) near Brabrand Lake and it is a popular recreational spot. It is a statutory goal of the Aarhus municipality to make the area publicly accessible and attractive to the public.

Activities and sports

''Brabrandstien'' (lit.: the Brabrand pathway), which runs along the Aarhus river from the inner city and around both Brabrand Sø and Årslev Engsø, was established by the City Council in 1956 as a labor project for the unemployed, to give the public better access to green space. The pathway is c. 26 km long, with 9.5 km for Brabrand Lake alone. With the addition of Årslev Engsø, the pathway grew another 8 km. A large part of Brabrandstien is asphalted and is popular for

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, rollerskating and jogging. Some of the graveled western parts are used for horseback riding. Cars are not allowed and motor vehicles are restricted. Brabrandstien is part of the Aarhus-Silkeborg hiking trail. On the northern bank of Brabrand Lake lies the facilities of ''Brabrand Rostadion'' (Brabrand Rowing Stadium). The stadium was established in 1952 and was heavily renovated and rebuilt in the year 2010.

C. F. Møller Architects Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller, internationally also known as C. F. Møller Architects, is an architectural firm based in Århus, Denmark. Founded in 1924 by C. F. Møller, it is today the largest architectural firm in Denmark based on number of em ...

was the architectural firm behind the new buildings. Local rowing and

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ing clubs have used the lake for practice and larger

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

s for many years. ''Rocenter Aarhus RCA'' (Aarhus Rowing Center) is located here, offering qualified training for rowers and clubs in East and South

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

on all levels (including elite) and for all ages. There is a 2,000 m racing track on Brabrand Lake and it is generally perceived as very good for

outrigger An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts ...

racing, but other types of boats are also rowed here, including

s. ''Aarhus Roklub'' (Aarhus Rowing Club), based here, have scored several prestigious medals. In 2005, Maria Pertl won silver in the

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...

in collaboration with Juliane Elander Rasmussen. In 2011, Andrej Lawaetz Bendtsen won gold at the WRC for seniors in a team of four.

Environmental projects

The lake is not very deep and has suffered from

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

for many years. The excessive nutrients originate from waste water and agricultural activities and pose a constant environmental threat to the surrounding ecology and the Bay of Aarhus. Eutrophication is a common problem all over the developed world. Starting in 1959 with 158 hectares, several environmental projects have aimed to alleviate the environmental burdens and at the same time maintain the aesthetic value of the lake and surrounding areas. These projects includes mud pumping of the lakebed and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

afforestations. Also, the local water company ''Aarhus Vand A/S'' began extracting phosphor from wastewater in 2013 at a water treatment plant in Åby close to the lake.

Phosphor A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence; it emits light when exposed to some type of radiant energy. The term is used both for fluorescent or phosphorescent substances which glow on exposure to ultraviolet or vi ...

is a key element in the eutrophication process but a valuable resource on its own and the water treatment plant is among only a few in the world to engage with this. It is hoped that the rich fen ecology which formerly characterized the lake, and is a threatened nature-type in general, can be restored in the future. The groundwater beneath and adjoining Brabrand Lake is very important, as it provides drinking water to more than 100,000 people in the greater Aarhus area. Acting partly on this fact, the lake water was also included in a large water treatment project led by ''Aarhus Vand A/S'' from 2006 to 2013. The project involved the Brabrand Lake, the Aarhus River and the Aarhus harbour, budgeted at

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

45 million. As a result, the waters in Brabrand Lake and the Aarhus River attained bathing quality in September 2012.

Special flora and fauna

Many species of flora and fauna at Brabrand Lake are either rare or relatively rare in Denmark and on the Danish Red List (under

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

). Some also are protected under different habitat directives of the EU. Here are a few examples: * Several

Lathyrus ''Lathyrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species ...

species grow here, such as the tuberous pea, which is rare in Denmark, and the relatively rare marsh pea. * Several relatively rare

rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

species grow here, such as European hard rush,

heath rush A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

and

slender rush ''Juncus tenuis'', the slender rush, is a clump-forming, round-stemmed perennial in the Juncaceae (rush family). Slender rush grows to be between 15 and 60 cm tall. Generally considered a weed, it is rarely sold by retailers as a household ...

. * Several orchids of the

Dactylorhiza ''Dactylorhiza'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Its species are commonly called marsh orchids or spotted orchids. ''Dactylorhiza'' were previously classified under ''Orchis'', which has two round tubers. Descrip ...

species are found growing here. Worthy of special mention is the common

western marsh orchid ''Dactylorhiza majalis'', the broad-leaved marsh orchid, is a terrestrial Eurasian orchid. Subspecies include: western marsh orchid (''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''occidentalis''), southern marsh orchid (''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''pra ...

and the relatively rare

early marsh orchid ''Dactylorhiza incarnata'', the early marsh-orchid, is a perennial, temperate-climate species of orchid generally found growing in wet meadows, and generally on base-rich soils, up to about 2100m asl. The species occurs widely in Europe and Asia ...

, both of which are protected and mentioned in the Danish Nature Protection Law ( §3) and the Washington Convention (list II.B). Although the ''w.m. orchid'' is one of the most common orchids in Denmark, it is also included due to alarming population decline. * The

white stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

s occasionally resting here are critically endangered (CR) and relatively rare in Denmark. * The

common nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

living here is rare in Denmark. The

thrush nightingale The thrush nightingale (''Luscinia luscinia''), also known as the sprosser, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscic ...

, common in Denmark, is also found at the lake. * Årslev Engsø regularly attracts rare birds such as

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

(CR),

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Palearctic, Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diur ...

(vulnerable VU),

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

(extinct as breeders RE), little gull (RE),

mediterranean gull The Mediterranean gull (''Ichthyaetus melanocephalus'') is a small gull. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus ''Ichthyaetus'' is from ''ikhthus'', "fish", and ''aetos'', "eagle", and the specific ''melanocephalus'' is from ''mel ...

, black tern (endangered EN), caspian tern, spotted crake (near threatened NT), broad-billed sandpiper, red-necked phalarope and water pipit. * The green hawker dragonflies are near threatened (NT) and rare in Denmark. They have been protected here under the EU habitat directive (IV) since 1992. * The population of

pond bat The pond bat (''Myotis dasycneme'') is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Eurasia from France to Russia and Kazakhstan. Physical characteristics The bat is medium-sized, with a noticeably short tragus for a species in the genus ''Myotis''. ...

s living at Brabrand Lake is protected under the Natura 2000 Plan 233. Pond bats are endangered (EN) in western Europe, but maybe only near threatened on a global scale. Apart from these rarer species, the Brabrand Lake area is characterized by many common species living here, mostly birds, insects and aquatic plants.

Archaeological finds

The area around Brabrand Lake has been populated for at least 6,000 years. In prehistoric times, Brabrand Lake was part of a deep brackish water

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, Ice ...

, offering natural protection and food in abundance. There were archaeological excavations here as early as 1903, revealing early

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

settlements and activities from the Ertebølle Culture. The Brabrand Lake area is still an active archaeological site today and has revealed

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlements and

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

activities such as a large shipbuilding yard. The Brabrand Fjord in the Stone Age (map)
Jyllands Posten (COWI, Uffe Rasmussen, Moesgård Museum)

Gallery

File:Brabrand Sø mod øst.jpg, Eastward view from a birdwatching tower. File:At Brabrand Lake.JPG, Brabrand Lake on a grey foggy day in December. File:Både ved Brabrand Sø.jpg, A berth. File:Fugletårnet (Sølyst).jpg, Birdwatching tower File:Tårnet.JPG, The observation tower at the rowing stadium. File:Brabrand Sø (maj) 02.jpg, Pasture meadows with grazing cattle. File:Summers eve at Årslev Engsø.jpg, View across the newly-formed Årslev Engsø on a summer's eve. File:Path ahead.jpg, The graveled hiking trail south of Årslev Engsø. File:Sunset at the lake.jpg, Sunset, windy weather and rainclouds across the lake.

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Brabrand Sø, Brabrand Lake

Map of the lake area
Aarhus Municipality
Danish Ornithological Association (DOF) on Brabrand-Årslev Lake
Geography of Aarhus Lakes of Jutland Wetlands of Denmark Special Areas of Conservation in Denmark