Wilhelmsruher See shines again: Grandiose reopening on October 2nd!

Wilhelmsruher See shines again: Grandiose reopening on October 2nd!

The park around Lake Wilhelmsruhe in Berlin has changed fundamentally in the last year and a half. On October 2, 2025, the newly designed park was ceremoniously opened by Manuela Anders-Granitzki, district councilor for order and public space. The extensive renovation work began in spring 2024 and aimed to create ecological and qualitative improvements to the lake and the associated green spaces. With the desludging of the lake, the first step towards returning it to a natural body of water was taken.

Around 1,900 tonnes of polluted sludge were removed during construction. Before desludging, essential measures such as explosive ordnance detection, rough cleaning and fishing took place. Not only were unwanted objects such as car tires and bicycles removed from the water, but an invasive fish species, the sunfish, was also severely decimated. Native fish species were transferred to holding ponds to be released after the work was completed.

Renaturation and ecological improvement

As part of the renaturation, the bank design of Lake Wilhelmsruhe was also revised. In place of the previous concrete border, a naturally sloping bank was created. In addition, new plants such as reeds, swamp irises and purple willow were planted, which provide a habitat for various species. The aim of these measures is not only to improve the ecological status of the water, but also to create habitats for fish, water birds, insects and amphibians. By the end of 2025, a natural flat bank will also be created, which will further increase biodiversity. This is in line with the general objectives of river renaturation, which are also described in the Bundes Environment Agency platform.

The work on the park was associated with considerable restrictions. During the construction period, the entire park was cordoned off, and no-parking zones were also necessary in the surrounding streets to ensure access for construction vehicles. Access areas were used as construction site areas in order to be able to carry out the work efficiently. Despite these circumstances, the district office is making every effort to keep other parts of the park and playgrounds open.

Invitations to the opening

An invitation was extended to interested citizens and members of the Wilhelmsruher See working group of the Leben in Wilhelmsruh e.V. association to reopen the park. Individual barriers remain necessary to protect newly sown areas. In addition, Berliner Wasserbetriebe is planning to connect a stormwater sewer, which will also require additional barriers to be set up. The plans for this connection will be announced in a separate press release.

The extensive work on Lake Wilhelmsruhe shows how important the restoration and greening of urban waters is for the quality of life of local residents. Such initiatives contribute to a more natural design and are essential for adapting to climate change.

For further information on the measures at Lake Wilhelmsruhe, we refer to the press release from the Pankow district office and the report from Tagesspiegel.