Wendebach Reservoir, reservoir in Germany

The Wendebach Reservoir is a man-made lake near Göttingen in the Göttingen district, held in place by two earth dams. It has a designated swimming area, grassy banks, a playground, a picnic hut with a grill, and a walking path that goes around the water.

The reservoir was built in the 1970s to protect the surrounding area from flooding, with the nearby B 27 road being one of the main concerns. Between 2014 and 2016, the dams were lowered and reinforced for safety reasons, after which swimming was allowed again.

The reservoir is one of the few outdoor swimming spots within easy reach of Göttingen, which makes it a regular summer destination for families in the area. On weekends, groups gather around the picnic hut to grill while children use the playground nearby.

The lake is reached from a parking lot on the road between Niedernjesa and Reinhausen, and the water is a short walk from there. The swimming season generally runs from mid-May to September, with regular water quality checks throughout.

The reservoir was desludged regularly in winter, not drained in autumn. Its two 15-metre earth dams proved unstable and leaky, so in 2014 and 2015 their crests were lowered by about seven metres, and the lake reopened as a bathing lake on 7 June 2016.