Wilhelmsruher See will soon shine anew: opening after extensive renovation!

Wilhelmsruher See will soon shine anew: opening after extensive renovation!

On October 2, 2025, the park on Lake Wilhelmsruhe will open its doors again. District councilor Manuela Anders-Granitzki will carry out the official opening at 2 p.m. This marks the end of a construction period of one and a half years that was dedicated to the ecological and quality improvement of the popular body of water and its surrounding green spaces. The comprehensive work began in spring 2024 with desludging, a measure that was considered urgently necessary to revitalize the ecological condition of the lake.

During the desludging work that took place between Heegermühler Weg and Tollerstrasse, almost 1,900 tons of polluted sludge were removed. Particular attention was paid to the use of a special amphibious vehicle, which sucked in a total of around 2,700 cubic meters of mud. Before the actual desludging took place, extensive measures such as explosive ordnance detection, rough cleaning and fishing took place. Numerous unwanted items such as car tires, bulky waste and even bicycles were removed. The recovery of explosive ordnance was carried out by a specialist company.

Ecological measures and renaturation

The aim of the extensive renovation work is to create a natural flat bank that will not only increase the quality of life, but also serve as a habitat for various animal species such as fish, water birds, insects and amphibians. After the contaminated sludge was removed, invasive fish species, particularly sunfish, were greatly reduced, while native fish species were transferred to holding ponds to be released once the work was completed.

To improve the bank design, the previously existing concrete border was replaced by a naturally sloping bank line. In addition, a variety of new plants, including reeds, marsh irises and purple willow, were planted to help restore the natural ecosystem. Renovation of the park's paths with water-bound pavement is now complete, and new seating steps on an opposite bank have been installed to make waterfront visits more enjoyable.

Logistical challenges and further measures

The work, which can be classified as a comprehensive renaturation of Lake Wilhelmsruhe, led to significant restrictions in the park and the surrounding streets during the construction period. The central park entrance on Tollerstrasse served as the main entrance to the construction site, with no-parking zones set up to facilitate access for delivery vehicles. Individual barriers will remain in place during the final work in order to protect newly sown areas and to allow Berliner Wasserbetriebe to connect the storm water sewer.

The ecological upgrading and the creation of near-natural habitats are in line with the goals of river renaturation, which aims to make water bodies more natural and to improve them ecologically. Information about relevant measures is available, among other things, on the online platform Federal Environment Agency accessible.

The reopening of Lake Wilhelmsruhe on October 2, 2025 will not only achieve a significant improvement in ecological conditions, but will also sustainably strengthen the leisure activities available to residents. Interested parties and members of the Wilhelmsruher See working group of the Leben in Wilhelmsruh e.V. association are cordially invited to take part in this event. A separate press release will be published for further details on the ongoing and planned construction work berlin.de reported.

Overall, the sustainable renaturation of Lake Wilhelmsruhe is not only an example of restoring aquatic ecological balance, but also of the importance of community and political determination that such projects require. Further information about the specific measures and their effects can also be found on Daily Mirror be read.