Geeste, Emsland, municipality of Landkreis Emsland, Germany
Geeste is a municipality in the Emsland that centers on a large storage lake covering 180 hectares. The lake was created in the 1980s and is supplied by the Dortmund-Ems-Canal from the Ems River, surrounded by a ring dam that rises 15 meters above the surrounding terrain.
The municipality developed as moorland where people mined peat and farmed for generations. A storage lake was later built in the 1980s as a cooling pond for a nuclear power plant, transforming the landscape into a recreational area.
The community demonstrates how people and moorland coexist. Cyclists use established trails, water sports enthusiasts sail and windsurf on the lake, and regional products such as cheese and herbs shape local life.
The lake features a 6 kilometer long dam with paths for walking, cycling and inline skating, plus an 850 meter sandy beach with playgrounds and sports facilities. Visitors will find parking, camping sites, a cafe, water sports clubs and a youth center around the area.
The lake originated as a byproduct of a nuclear power plant 12 kilometers away and is now a recreation and nature paradise hosting rare bird species and protected moorland. The Moormuseum and nature park show how intensive peat mining history transformed into conservation.
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