Bergwerksee, Artificial lake in Reichelsheim, Germany

Bergwerksee is an artificial lake in Reichelsheim created from a former brown coal mining pit. The water body spans a large area with shoreline zones, meadows, and orchards that together form a natural-looking space.

The lake occupies the pit of a brown coal opencast mine south of Weckesheim. The source gives no closing date for mining; it records only that the flooded pit now forms part of the Wetterauer Seenplatte chain of lakes in the Wetteraukreis.

The site emerged from converting a mining area into a nature reserve, with old orchards and meadows shaping the landscape today. It shows how industrial land can become home to wildlife and vegetation once mining stops.

Swimming and bathing are prohibited throughout the lake. Access for fishing and for nature-conservation diving is reserved for established regional sport-fishing clubs and conservation divers, as of February 2022. The lake lies in the Bergwerksee recreation area between Weckesheim and Dorn-Assenheim, west of Reichelsheim.

The water level continues to rise gradually as the lake has not yet reached its final equilibrium. This process will continue for years and constantly changes the shorelines and habitats for plants and animals.