Erfurt Lakes future project
Review, present and outlook
The Erfurt Lakes are the waste product of gravel mining in the north of the state capital. This is made possible by the Gera. Over thousands of years, some of these rocks were brought from the edge of the Thuringian Forest to today's mining areas. During transport, sharp-edged objects turn into beautiful round gravel stones, which are sought after in the construction industry.
Places of hard work become places of leisure
At a time when mammoths and early humans were roaming around the Erfurt area, the Gera runs in an arc from the Sulzer settlement past the site of the Luther monument to Riethnordhausen.
Today the Gera runs further to the west. This results in two main areas of gravel mining and two lake areas. One in the Mittelhausen, Kühnhausen and Elxleben area. The other one in said sheet. The northern beach forms the southern boundary and the Riethnordhäuser ponds form the northern boundary of this lake area. Some bodies of water do not yet exist, others are being worked on with heavy machinery and some of the lakes have already arrived in the planned future - Nordstrand, Stotternheimer and Alperstedter See show what it looks like when places of hard work have become places of leisure .
Lookout tower, beach and restaurants
That's quite nice, but not the coherent local recreation area that is supposed to be created in the north of Erfurt. The plans are becoming more and more concrete and with each new step they are targeting the desired future. Through this we see the following: Former gravel pits connected by cycle paths invite various activities. One of the lakes offers swimming and sailing, others have dining options on their shores, and from one of the observation towers visitors can take a look at this landscape of relaxation, activities and protected areas for fauna and flora. That could then look like this:
None of this will happen tomorrow or the day after. We're talking about completion in 2065. By then, a lot of things can change and new things can be added. Citizens’ ideas and participation are expressly welcome. The type of management is also completely open: Will there be private companies like those found at Lake Alperstedter? Will the Stotternheimer See model dominate with a municipal operator? Or will things be a little disorganized, as is sometimes the case at Lake Sulzer?
The future is still open. One thing is certain: the individual lakes and existing facilities will be used to create a coherent local recreation area for Erfurt. Things remain exciting in the north of Erfurt.
Note: Some of the photos have AI-generated additions.