Lusatian Lake District: Free sailing on Europe’s largest man-made lake system

Almost 60 years after the first flooding, the Lusatian Lake District is now navigable almost throughout for the first time. With the addition of three further connecting canals, a 50-kilometre route is being created between Brandenburg and Saxony.

Three new channels

Until now, only the Koschener and Barbara Canals were navigable in the Lusatian Lake District. On Monday, the Sornoer, Rosendorfer and Ilse Canals also opened. These new waterways connect the central Lake Sedlitz with the neighbouring bodies of water. As a result, the previously isolated areas are now linked together to form a region ideal for day trips and weekend cruises.

​Infrastructure and History

The new waterways consist of canals, locks, bridges and tunnels. From the central Lake Sedlitz, the Sorno Canal leads to Lake Geierswalde. The Rosendorf Canal connects to Lake Partwitz, whilst the Ilse Canal runs to Lake Großräschen. The 186-metre-long Ilse Canal Tunnel forms a narrow bottleneck. In addition, the older Koschen Canal passes under a main road and the Schwarze Elster via two tunnels. You can find more details about the area here.

The Project The area around the Lusatian Lake District looks back on a long history. Exactly 100 years ago, the first dredging operations began at the ‘Ilse-Ost’ opencast mine, now known as Lake Sedlitz. Since the 1990s, around 941 million euros have been invested by the federal and state governments in the rehabilitation and renaturation of the region. In the run-up to coal mining, just under 3.8 billion cubic metres of earth were moved. Today, the five lakes together hold a total volume of 640 million cubic metres of water. However, the steeply sloping banks of the old opencast mines made the driving of jetty piles a labourious and costly process, which delayed their opening.

Restricted areas and wind conditions

With an area of 1,400 hectares, Lake Sedlitz is the largest body of water in the new network. Due to the vast, open areas, strong winds can occur here and on the neighbouring lakes. Skippers should plan their trips with plenty of time to spare, as waiting times may arise at the narrow passages. Anchoring is permitted outside marked protected areas, but is prohibited in the connecting canals. Boats must not enter buoy-marked restricted areas or nature reserves in the Lusatian Lake District. Waterway users are also prohibited from landing on these shores.