Weißer See (; literally "White Lake") is a
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
in the
Weissensee district of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Its surface area is 8.3011ha (84,000m
2) and volume 360,606m
3. With a depth of 10.64m (average depth 4.34m) it is one of the deepest areas of water in Berlin. Its dimensions are approx. 300m East-West by 350m North-South.
The lake and its surrounding landscape were shaped by the
Weichsel ice age. It is embedded in the ground moraines of Niederbarnimer. During the melting of the ice a huge block of ice remained; when it subsequently thawed it created what is known as a kettle hole. This was the origin of today's Weisser See. Over the centuries settlements developed around the lake, mainly based on agriculture; the oldest known settlement dates from the 13th century.
During the past 150 years, through development of the near shore, the water balance and catchment area have been increasingly disturbed.
As a reminder of the cultural heritage of the Sterneckerschen establishment (Weissensee Castle), there still exists the Strandbad Weissensee (Weissensee bathing beach), dating from 1912. In addition to its role as a bathing and recreation area, the Weisser See also functions as an overflow lake for the Weissensee storm sewers. The water level in the lake is regulated by the Berlin water company and measured at the bathing place. During times of low rainfall water from nearby sources can be pumped into the lake underneath the observation deck. Since the expense of the pumping is met by the surrounding district of
Pankow
Pankow () is the second largest and most populous Boroughs and quarters of Berlin, borough of the German capital Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weissensee (Berlin), W ...
, this additional water supply is limited by financial considerations. Notable in the Weisser See is a centre fountain of considerable height, which with the help of the Young Pioneers Diving Club is put into operation each year.
The Weissensee Park surrounds the lake. On the banks of the lake there is a boat rental station and the historic Milchhäuschen (small milk house), a café that was well known in
GDR days.
Image Gallery
File:Berlin Weisser See.JPG, Weisser See
File:Weisser_See_Fontaene_Blick_Richtung_Freilichtbühne.jpg, Weisser See fountain
File:Weisser_See_Winter.jpg, Weisser See in Winter
File:15-02-27-Flug-Berlin-Düsseldorf-RalfR-DSCF2432b-05.jpg, Photo taken from airplane
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisser See (Berlin)
Lakes of Berlin
Pankow