Senftenberg Lake is located in southern Brandenburg in Lower Lusatia, in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district around the town of Senftenberg. It is particularly noteworthy that this is not a natural lake, but an artificial body of water that emerged from a former lignite open-cast mine. For many decades, the landscape around Senftenberg was heavily influenced by lignite mining. The Niemtsch open-cast mine, where large quantities of lignite were extracted, was once located in the region. After mining ceased in the 1960s, the huge open-cast mine began to be flooded in a controlled manner. This gradually created Lake Senftenberg, which was partially opened for tourist purposes as early as 1973. It is considered one of the first artificially created swimming lakes of its kind in Germany and also the starting point for the development of today’s lake landscape in Lusatia.
With an area of around 1,300 hectares or approximately 13 square kilometers, Lake Senftenberg is one of the largest artificial lakes in Germany. Its shoreline measures around 18 kilometers and the lake reaches a depth of around 25 meters at its deepest point. It contains a total of approximately 80 million cubic meters of water. Particularly striking is the large island in the middle of the lake: it covers around 250 hectares and is a nature reserve.
Photo: @_naturmomente_sandra_eberhardt / Instagram
Today, Lake Senftenberg is an important leisure and recreation area. Along the shore there are several sandy beaches – including nudist areas – campsites, holiday resorts, and small harbors. Visitors can swim, sail, surf, paddle, or take a boat trip across the lake. Anglers will also find good conditions here, as the lake is home to zander, pike, eels, and perch, among other species. In addition, there is a continuous cycle path around the entire lake, which is particularly popular with cyclists and walkers. Since 2007, the lake has also been officially navigable, with motorboats permitted at limited speeds.
