Suddenly the area seems to have been switched off. Where the wind would otherwise ripple the surface, there is a calm, light-coloured blanket, sometimes as smooth as a mirror, sometimes dull and grainy, sometimes criss-crossed by cracks like fine veins. When the frost strikes in Germany, lakes, rivers and harbour basins are transformed into a winter landscape that is at once familiar and completely alien. It is precisely this tension that makes it so appealing: The water remains, but it shows a different face.
In the harbours, everyday scenery becomes a composition. Jetties, dolphins, bollards and masts draw clear lines in the surface, boats are held in place. At some berths, small chunks of ice float like broken glass; in other areas, the surface is closed and milky, as if covered by a veil. From a height, patterns become visible: slabs, broken edges, dark tracks of open water. A mosaic that rearranges itself with every day of frost.
On the coast, the cold takes on a dramaturgy of its own. Snow lies on the beach as if foamed up, floes push against each other on shallow shore zones, and a transition of white, grey and deep blue emerges between land and open sea. Even large areas suddenly appear small because there is no movement and because fog or winter haze swallow up distances. In sheltered waters such as the Schlei, you can see particularly well how quickly bays close in, while further out there is still life in dark, open strips. And on wide lakes such as the Müritz, the ice surface becomes a stage: large, calm, graphic - ideal for images that are less about spectacle than structure and mood.
As photogenic as this ice age is, it remains unpredictable. Currents, tributaries, bridges, reed edges or even just temperature differences ensure that ice never wears the same everywhere. For walks and photo tours, it is therefore better to stay on the shore and not be tempted by the tracks of others.
Our photo gallery collects the best moments from this short period of the year.
