For ideas for a canoe trip in the Feldberg lake district
Photo: © TMV/Roth
In the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, in the Müritz National Park and in other particularly unspoiled areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, there are still some crystal-clear lakes. They are considered particularly endangered - and at the same time are charming natural refuges for active vacationers.
This water is crystal clear, incredibly transparent for a lake. Already in the morning, I stand with my children in the shallow water of the Breiter Luzin and observe light gray shoals of mini fish and delicate water plants. Even later, when we take a canoe for a spin on the narrow Luzin in the Feldberg lake district, we can't help but be amazed: "It's all full of mineral water here," my son exclaims enthusiastically. And my daughter explains that she unfortunately has to take a short break from this tour - the water, in which you can look many meters deep, is simply too attractive. And off she goes, having dropped into the water and swimming happily around the canoe.
Wow! It's so beautiful here that my heart leaps for joy. In this area in the very east of the Mecklenburg Lake District lie some of the most beautiful clear-water lakes in Germany. The Schmale Luzin is even a record-breaker: with its depth of 34 meters, it is the last lake in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where plants still grow at a depth of 15 meters, so there is still enough light and oxygen.
How is it, my children want to know, that these lakes are so clear - and others are not, even though the water quality there is also good. We do some research and find out that almost all of the lakes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - 98 percent of them - were once poor in nutrients, i.e. completely clear. However, as a result of centuries of agricultural use and the extensive straightening of many watercourses, around 86 percent of all lakes in the state are now too rich in nutrients to be truly clear. The technical terms for this: Clear water lakes are so-called oligotrophic waters with very few nutrients, while hypertrophic lakes have very many nutrients.
Among the last endangered clear water lakes in Germany, and therefore worthy of special protection, are the Breiten Luzin and Schmalen Luzin in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, as well as about a dozen other lakes in the Mecklenburg Lake DistrictThese include, for example, the White Lake on the Havel Cycle Path, the Great Fürstensee Lake near Neustrelitz in the Müritz National Park or Drewitzer Lake in the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide Nature Park. Lake Stechlin can also be counted among them. Although it is located in Brandenburg, geographically it belongs to the Mecklenburg Lake District.
These lakes are interesting for tourists because they are usually located in the midst of wild nature, are often bird paradises and because swimming in clear water is of course simply a lot of fun. Some of the lakes, such as the Schmale Luzin, are also considered interesting diving spots. And even on canoe tours or, even better, on SUP excursions, you simply get much better insights into the fascinating world under water on clear-water lakes.
In the evening we cycled from the campsite at the Breiter Luzin to the Schmaler Luzin, because my children had discovered a rope tied to a tree from the canoe to play Tarzan. We find it - and swing a few times squatting on the knot to the place where you can jump off: With a quiet whoop we drop into the refreshing, today almost glacier-green water, while high above us a red kite soars with the thermals. Rubbing our eyes once and marveling - but we are actually in Germany, more precisely only about 1.5 hours' drive from Berlin.
A list with clear water lakes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern you will find here.
This is how you get to the Feldberger Seenlandschaft by train and bus: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: Caribbean colors in the middle of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: The Breite Luzin in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft © TMV/Gänsicke
