Teichgut Birkenhof, Aquaculture facility in Aschheim and Kirchheim bei München, Germany
Teichgut Birkenhof is a vast fish farming operation straddling Aschheim and Kirchheim bei München, covering thousands of acres of land. The grounds consist mainly of fish ponds with connecting dams and canals, interspersed with open water surfaces and surrounded by flat, largely open countryside.
The facility was built in the 1920s as Europe's largest wastewater-fed fish pond system, combining fish production with water treatment in a single operation. The system operated successfully for decades but was eventually abandoned as water management practices and regulations changed.
The site merges fish farming with nature conservation in a way visitors rarely encounter today: water, fish, and green spaces form an interconnected system. Those who walk along the northern dam sections experience this combination directly, where natural areas and productive land exist side by side.
The grounds are not open to the general public, but sections along the northern dam canal are accessible and provide good views of the overall layout. Use the public paths running beside the northern canals to observe the water surfaces and flat landscape from above.
The site once operated its own railway network to move fish through the extensive pond system, an unusual feature for a fish farming operation. This internal transport system remained in use for many decades before being decommissioned.
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