Concordia artificial lake

A large artificial lake in the foothills of the Harz mountains in Saxony-Anhalt. There are already quite a few such lakes in Germany and many new lakes are planned for the next ten years.


The lake is named after the former Concordia coal mine. The first works on cleaning the quarry started in 1992, and it was flooded with water until 1998. The opening ceremony took place in 2002, when the lake area reached 350 hectares and the lake was officially authorized for water tourism.

Nevertheless, the filling with water continues and will continue for quite some time. In 2030 the area will increase to 600-700 hectares and the maximum depth will reach 61 meters.

Such large-scale projects are always a risk. In 2009 there was a landslide, several houses collapsed into the water and were subsequently demolished (https://youtu.be/KQTCUwilS9M?t=15). There were fatalities and dozens of people were left homeless. A mini tsunami that was created by the landslide washed ashore an excursion boat. The landslide was caused by a small earthquake.

In 2016, another landslide occurred and the lake was closed to the public. In July 2019, the north side of the lake was reopened to tourism. It is where the Noah's Ark Restaurant (Arche Noah) is located and offers a good view of the lake. At the time of our visit, the restaurant had Ukrainian staff and the food was delicious.




In summer you can swim in the lake, the beach is open when the air temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius. Entrance to the beach is paid. The lake also offers conditions for yachtsmen, surfers and fans of water bikes. Water bikes, rowing boats and SUP boards can be rented.








There is a bicycle path along the shore. There is also a tourist boat.


Getting there: parking 51.834389, 11.360722.