Steinhuder Meer

The Steinhuder Meer covers about twenty-nine square kilometres, the largest lake in northwestern Germany, but averages only about one and a half metres deep and reaches under three, a shallow basin left by glacial and peat processes. In the 1760s Count Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe had an artificial island built by sinking stone in the lake and constructed the Wilhelmstein, a star fortress, on it as a refuge and a military academy; Gerhard von Scharnhorst studied there. A second island, Steinhuder Insel, was made in the 1970s from dredged material as a bird reserve. Flat-bottomed sailing boats called Auswanderer carry visitors across.

What you actually see

• The Wilhelmstein - an island fortress on ground made by sinking stone.
• The shallow water - a large lake under three metres deep throughout.
• The flat-bottomed boats - traditional craft built for the shallow lake.
• The bird reserve - an artificial island made from dredged material.

When to go

May to September; ferries to the island run in season and stop in winter. The shallow water warms early, and the lake is used for sailing and windsurfing.

Honest expectations

The lake is too shallow for most boats and freezes readily. Island ferries are seasonal and weather dependent. The shore is busy on summer weekends.

Nearby

Hanover lies southeast; Bremen is northwest.