Blausteinsee

Blausteinsee

Western shore of the lake
Blausteinsee
Coordinates 50°51′18″N 06°16′27″E / 50.85500°N 6.27417°E / 50.85500; 6.27417Coordinates: 50°51′18″N 06°16′27″E / 50.85500°N 6.27417°E / 50.85500; 6.27417
Surface area 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
Surface elevation 129 m (423 ft)
Blausteinsee, with the Weisweiler power station behind
Information board

Blausteinsee, officially known as the Blausteinsee Leisure and Recreation Area, is an artificial lake north to Eschweiler in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is around 100 hectares in size and has a depth of 46 m. It was created during the regeneration of the Zukunft opencast coal mine in the Rhineland coalfield, made by flooding the hole left by the mine with water. Today the lake is a holiday area for the surrounding towns. The surface of the lake is 129 metres above sea level and the volume is around 25 million cubic metres. The filling of the lake began in 1994.

The owner of the Blausteinsee is the Blaustein See Leisure Centre GmbH, which was founded as a support organization in 1982 by the municipalities of Aldenhoven, Alsdorf, Eschweiler, Stolberg and Würselen. The aim of this company is to create and maintain an attractive leisure and recreational area for the people of the Aachen region and the surrounding area, along with the coordination of activities on and around the lake.

Location and description

Beach

Blausteinsee is mainly located in Eschweiler municipality and only the Schlangengraben stream to the north is partly in Aldenhoven municipality. On the southern shore is the Dürwiß district where there is a recreation area with an outdoor swimming pool and a place for young people to ride their bikes. On the eastern shore are the twin districts of Fronhoven and Neu-Lohn. The lake is surrounded by a green belt with a width of between 80 and 130 meters, where you can find a footpath, a cycle path and a 10.3 km long path for rollerblading. Altogether the recreation area in the so-called lake depression is around 180 hectares.

The diving area, where there is a filling station and an introduction to the area, is on the northwestern shore, the bathing area and beach along with the eating area are on the west shoreline, while the northern, northeastern and eastern shores are a nature reserve.

History

In 1981 the town of Eschweiler started working on plans for a lake in the town (the Eschweiler See). The Eschweiler sailing club had already been formed two years previously. In 1982 the relocation of the population of Erberich, Langendorf, Laurenzburg, Lürken, Langweiler and Obermerz to the towns of Neu-Lohn and Fronhoven began. Blaustein GmbH was founded as a local supporting organisation by the towns of Aldenhoven, Alsdorf, Eschweiler and Würselen and the name of the lake was changed to Blausteinsee. This was the first inter-municipal project in the Aachen region.

The name of the lake comes from the old district of Am blauen Stein north of Dürwiß. The name, does not come from a bluestone quarry but from a 17th or 18th century wayside cross on the road between Dürwiß and Fronhoven, and appears on old maps.

After the last of the 530 million tons of brown coal was mined from the Zukunft-West mine in 1987, the regeneration began. In early 1994 the last machinery was removed from the mine. The former mines of Zukunft and Zukunft-West were around 23 km². At the same time the access road was renamed as Zum Blausteinsee.

On 5th October 1994 the filling of the Blausteinsee began. The fountain was in the middle of the lake, around 500m from the shore, using around 210 liters of water per second, and reaching a height of 40m. Around 6.7 million m³ of water flowed into the lake per year, and, to start off with at least, 75 million m³ were needed because up to 50 million m³ of water either sunk into the ground or evaporated.

In August 1997 the Verband der wassersporttreibenden Vereine Blausteinsee 1997 e. V. was founded. This was a follow-up to the Interessengemeinschaft Blausteinsee which was created in 1982. On the 12th August 2000 the Blausteinsee was officially opened and a temporary container village was set up. In 2002 the Eschweiler sailing club and the Alsdorf sailing club constructed their own dock. Since August 2003 a private security company has been employed to patrol the area to prevent wild barbecuing, swimming and the trespassing of nature reserves. In August 2004 a part of the lake was made accessible for swimming and in 2005 the lake reached its final area of around 100 hectares and a maximum depth of 46m. A large erratic boulder on the western shore serves as a memorial to the initial filling and opening of the lake.

Watersport

Sailing boat on the lake

The Blausteinsee very quickly developed into an attraction for sports enthusiasts. On the western shore there is a diving area. Because of the sandy lakebed, the visibility depends on the number of divers, but usually ranges between 1-7m. Below 25m the visibility is especially good. Many attractions have been sunk into the lake, such as a car, a wrecked dinghy, a statue of an angel and trees. The Eschweiler diving club has produced an underwater map showing them all. The lake is also used for canoeing, rowing, swimming, sailing and windsurfing, however kitesurfing and model boats are prohibited.

Every year the Erich Berscheit Cup is contested by holding a regatta. It is named after the former mayor of Eschweiler, Erich Berscheit, who decided to create the lake.

Flora and Fauna

The Blausteinsee is still biologically young. Cnidarians, crabs, freshwater snails, amphibians and many fish, from small to medium-sized such as the common rudd and the common roach, as well perciforms and eels can be seen in the lake. Near the shore the first water plants are starting to spread. The immediate surroundings of the lake are fields, trees, copses and hedges. The green belt, which is around 80-130m wide, is filled with deciduous trees, bushes, meadows and other areas that were allowed to develop naturally.

External reading and references

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