or is a small lake in

Tromsø Municipality Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 2 ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The lake sits at the highest point on the central part of the island of

Tromsøya or is an island in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It lies in the Tromsøysundet strait between the mainland and the larger island of Kvaløya. The city of Tromsø is located on the island, which has 39,882 resident ...

inside the city of Tromsø. Prestvannet was built up as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in 1867, and continued in that role until 1921. Since then it has been used as park land and a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. The pond area has been preserved as a nesting place for various

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s. The pond and its surrounding wooded area form an important natural area for the Tromsø area. Encircling the pond is a track commonly used for recreational activities and sports, as well as a nature trail with plaques giving information about the local wildlife. In the winter, the frozen pond is a popular place for

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

Media gallery

Prestvannet_Tromso.jpg, Prestvannet during winter. Prestvannet-Middagstind.jpg, View towards southwest. The tall mountain in the background is Middagstind on Kvaløya. Prestvannet-parkvei.jpg, Nature path near Prestvannet Prestvannet-Tromsdalstinden.jpg, Another view of the lake

References

Tromsø Reservoirs in Norway Lakes of Troms og Finnmark {{norway-lake-stub