Steinhude Lake
Encyclopedia
The Steinhuder Meer or Lake Steinhude is a lake
in Lower Saxony
, Germany
located 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) northwest of Hanover
. It is named after the nearby village of Steinhude
. It has an area of about 30 square kilometres (11.6 sq mi), making it the largest lake of northwestern Germany, but it is very shallow, with an average depth of only 1.35 metres (4.4 ft) and a maximum depth of less than 3 metres (9.8 ft). It lies within a region known as the Hanoverian Moor Geest
.
formed after the recession of the glaciers of the latest Ice Age
, the Weichselian glaciation. There are two theories regarding how the lake of Steinhude was formed.
One of them says that glaciers gouged out the hole and meltwater filled it. The other theory states that an ice storm formed the hole and as the groundwater rose, the lake was created. In its middle there is a small artificial island carrying an 18th-century fortification, the Wilhelmstein. Today the lake is the heart of a nature reserve, the Steinhuder Meer Nature Park
, and is also used as a recreational area.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in 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...
, 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...
located 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) northwest of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. It is named after the nearby village of Steinhude
Steinhude
Steinhude is a village in the borough of Wunstorf in Hanover Region in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is a tourist resort on the southern shore of Lake Steinhude....
. It has an area of about 30 square kilometres (11.6 sq mi), making it the largest lake of northwestern Germany, but it is very shallow, with an average depth of only 1.35 metres (4.4 ft) and a maximum depth of less than 3 metres (9.8 ft). It lies within a region known as the Hanoverian Moor Geest
Hanoverian Moor Geest
The Hanoverian Moor Geest is a gently rolling landscape between Hanover and Nienburg in the German state of Lower Saxony covering an area of around . It belongs to the raised bog regions of northwest Germany, which cover the geest terrain formed during the ice age and which stretch from the...
.
Geology
It is part of the glacial landscapeGlacial landforms
Glacial landforms are those created by the action of glaciers. Most of today's glacial landforms were created by the movement of large ice sheets during the Quaternary glaciations...
formed after the recession of the glaciers of the latest Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, the Weichselian glaciation. There are two theories regarding how the lake of Steinhude was formed.
One of them says that glaciers gouged out the hole and meltwater filled it. The other theory states that an ice storm formed the hole and as the groundwater rose, the lake was created. In its middle there is a small artificial island carrying an 18th-century fortification, the Wilhelmstein. Today the lake is the heart of a nature reserve, the Steinhuder Meer Nature Park
Steinhuder Meer Nature Park
The Steinhuder Meer Nature Park , with northwest Germany's largest inland lake, the Steinhuder Meer, at its heart, covers an area of within the districts of Nienburg and Schaumburg and the region of Hanover...
, and is also used as a recreational area.