Alfsee
Encyclopedia
The Alfsee is a reservoir
in the north of the district of Osnabrück in the state of Lower Saxony
in north Germany
. It has an area of 2.2 km².
It acts as a flood retention basin
for the catchment area
of the Hase and as local recreational area.
in Osnabrücker Land. It lies around 25 km north of the city of Osnabrück
and 8 km north of Bramsche
, southeast of the Ankum Heights
. About 95 % of its area belongs to the parish of Alfhausen
to the west, after which the reservoir is named. The rest, a bay
on the eastern side of the lake is in the parish of Rieste
.
Immediately to the south, where the artificially constructed conduit of the river Hase flows into the Alfsee lakes, there is a small auxiliary basin (Absetzbecken) in front of the actual reservoir, from which water flows into the lake via a roughly 330 m long overflow dam.
To the east the Alfsee borders on the small Dubbelausee, which is up to 400 m long in an east-west direction and up to 360 m long from north to south and set at a height of .
Just to the northeast, as part of as small nature reserve
there is a reserve basin (Reservebecken), which is up to 700 m long from north to south and a maximum of 425 m from east to west.
. Today this has holiday homes, several campsite
s and sports pitches as well as a boating harbour with a sailing
school and a waterskiing area. As well as holiday makers and water sports enthusiasts, the Alfsee is popular with angler
s, particularly because of the presence of tench
.
a few hundred metres east of the B 68, can be accessed from this federal road and from the Neuenkirchen-Vörden
junction of the A 1 motorway that passes it to the east.
The station at Rieste which is served hourly by trains from Bremen and Osnabrück is only about 1,800m from the Alfsee.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the north of the district of Osnabrück in the state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in north Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It has an area of 2.2 km².
It acts as a flood retention basin
Retention basin
A retention basin is used to manage stormwater runoff to prevent flooding and downstream erosion, and improve water quality in an adjacent river, stream, lake or bay. Sometimes called a wet pond or wet detention basin, it is an artificial lake with vegetation around the perimeter, and includes a...
for the catchment area
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Hase and as local recreational area.
Geography
The Alfsee is located in the north of BramgauBramgau
The Bramgau is the historic name for the region of settlement around the independent municipality of Bramsche in the north of the district of Osnabrück in the German federal state of Lower Saxony. with megalithic tombs and tumuli from the New Stone Age and Bronze Age...
in Osnabrücker Land. It lies around 25 km north of the city of Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
and 8 km north of Bramsche
Bramsche
Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...
, southeast of the Ankum Heights
Ankum Heights
The Ankum Heights , also called the Fürstenau Hills , are a ridge of hills up to 140 m high in the western part of the state of Lower Saxony on the North German Plain.- Geography :...
. About 95 % of its area belongs to the parish of Alfhausen
Alfhausen
Alfhausen is a municipality which is a member of the Samtgemeinde Bersenbrück in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony.-Climate:Moderate sea climate affected by damp northwest hoist by the North Sea. In the means of many years the air temperature in Alfhausen 8,5° reaches - 9,0 °C and there fall...
to the west, after which the reservoir is named. The rest, a bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
on the eastern side of the lake is in the parish of Rieste
Rieste
Rieste is a municipality in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
.
Lake environment
Four lakes
The water surface of the Alfsee covers 2.2 km² and its shore is about 7 km long. Its maximum north-south length is 2.88 km. From east to west the lake is up to 330 m across in the south and 1,350 m in the north. It has a capacity of 20 million m³ at a depth of 2 m.Immediately to the south, where the artificially constructed conduit of the river Hase flows into the Alfsee lakes, there is a small auxiliary basin (Absetzbecken) in front of the actual reservoir, from which water flows into the lake via a roughly 330 m long overflow dam.
To the east the Alfsee borders on the small Dubbelausee, which is up to 400 m long in an east-west direction and up to 360 m long from north to south and set at a height of .
Just to the northeast, as part of as small nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
there is a reserve basin (Reservebecken), which is up to 700 m long from north to south and a maximum of 425 m from east to west.
Head- and tailwaters
Roughly north of the town of Bramsche an artificial channel branches off the Hase that takes water from the south for about 4.5 km to the lakes of the Alfsee. The water draining from the Alfsee runs over a similar artificial drainage channel, about 1.3 km long, directly west of the reserve basin north of the Alfsee, where it flows along the 2.5 km long canalised lower reaches of the Ueffelner Aue, which passes the Alfsee to the west running in a south to north direction west of Alfhausen, before flowing back into the Hase.History
Construction on the Alfsee began in 1971. From 1976 a holiday park was built on the eastern shore within the parish of RiesteRieste
Rieste is a municipality in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
. Today this has holiday homes, several campsite
Campsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
s and sports pitches as well as a boating harbour with a sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
school and a waterskiing area. As well as holiday makers and water sports enthusiasts, the Alfsee is popular with angler
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
s, particularly because of the presence of tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
.
Transport links
The Alfsee, which is located southeast of AlfhausenAlfhausen
Alfhausen is a municipality which is a member of the Samtgemeinde Bersenbrück in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony.-Climate:Moderate sea climate affected by damp northwest hoist by the North Sea. In the means of many years the air temperature in Alfhausen 8,5° reaches - 9,0 °C and there fall...
a few hundred metres east of the B 68, can be accessed from this federal road and from the Neuenkirchen-Vörden
Neuenkirchen-Vörden
Neuenkirchen-Vörden is a municipality in the district of Vechta, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 30 km southwest of Vechta, and 30 km north of Osnabrück....
junction of the A 1 motorway that passes it to the east.
The station at Rieste which is served hourly by trains from Bremen and Osnabrück is only about 1,800m from the Alfsee.