Griebnitzsee, Lake in Babelsberg, Potsdam, Germany

Griebnitzsee is an elongated lake between Berlin and Brandenburg, roughly 3 kilometers long and 265 meters wide. It connects to the Teltow Canal and sits near Babelsberg with walking paths along its shores.

The lake formed through natural geological processes and was connected to the region's waterway system over centuries through canal work. During the Cold War, the Berlin Wall divided the lake, with border guards patrolling the southern and western shores.

The name derives from the Slavic grib, mushroom, and the suffix -ica, and the lake was first recorded in 1382 as Gribenicz. Its shore is lined with villas, among them the Truman-Villa, bought and restored by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit, whose federal office is there. Volker Schlöndorff is the best-known resident.

The lake lies on the Teltow Canal route, with the S-Bahn and regional train station Griebnitzsee at its southern tip in Babelsberg. The Parkbrücke at the northwest end links Neubabelsberg with Klein Glienicke. A public lakeside path is disputed: courts annulled the 2007 and 2016 development plans, so access to the water's edge is not guaranteed everywhere.

The Griebnitzsee's best-known resident is film director Volker Schlöndorff, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom bought and restored the Truman Villa on its shore as its national office. The lake was first recorded in 1382 as Gribenicz. In 1962 the refugee Günter Wiedenhöft drowned trying to cross the lake from the GDR.