The Most Beautiful Lakes to Relax and Swim in Rhineland-Palatinate

Eifel, Hunsrück, Westerwald: Rhineland-Palatinate is one of Germany's most forested states. And amidst it all, there are sparkling spots promising tranquility and refreshment. These are the lakes you should know about.

Extinct, mainly green-forested volcanic cones run through the Eifel region in the west of Rhineland-Palatinate. In some of the collapsed magma chambers, the calderas, rainwater has accumulated over time, creating lakes. The most famous example is Lake Laach.

It's a popular destination located in the eastern Volcanic Eifel near the Abbey of Maria Laach, which is also a major attraction. If that's too crowded for you, Rhineland-Palatinate offers peaceful alternatives.

Sound good? Then you should head to these lakes in the Eifel, Westerwald, and Palatinate Forest.

Let's stay in the volcanic region. Here, it's not 'Welcome to the Sea,' but 'to the Maar.' That's not a spelling mistake, but a term for crater and reservoir lakes formed by volcanic activity over ten thousand years ago. There are 75 maars, also known as the Eyes of the Eifel, here. Twelve of them are permanently filled with water.

In contrast to the well-developed Pulvermaar near Gillenfeld, one of Germany's deepest lakes at 72 meters, the nearby Holzmaar is a natural paradise. The lake is surrounded by a dense beech forest, through which a circular trail runs.

The 20-meter-deep waterway was created in the 16th century when the river water of the Sammetbach was dammed here and used as a water source for the nearby Gillenfeld wood mill. That gave it its name.

Since 1975, the maar has been under nature protection and is regularly studied by scientists from the University of Trier and the Potsdam Geo Research Center. This means: Swimming and boating are not permitted here. However, nature fans will find plenty to appreciate.

The atmosphere around the maar is described as melancholic. Formed by volcanic activity around 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, it is at 487 meters the highest of the three Dauner Maars: Weinfelder Maar, Gemündener Maar, and Schalkenmehrener Maar.

The Weinfelder Maar is 51 meters deep and has a diameter of 396 to 429 meters. There is a legend about this tranquil Eifel eye.

It is said that those who stare into the dark water for a long time can see the outlines of a sunken castle. How long the German landscape painter Fritz von Wille (1911-1941) gazed into the deep water is unknown, but his works are. One of his favorite motifs at the Weinfelder Maar is the small St. Martin Chapel on the north shore. There's also a legend about this: Whoever rings the bell inside by pulling the ropes gets one wish. There is a small cemetery here, earning the lake its nickname: Totenmaar.

Although it's peaceful here thanks to the swimming and watersport ban, the maar is anything but dead, as you can discover a unique flora and fauna that is protected here. You can easily explore this on the nearly two-kilometer-long hiking path.

The Windsborn Crater Lake near the town of Bettenfeld (district of Bernkastel-Wittlich) is a rare feature in the Eifel: It is the only crater lake north of the Alps permanently filled with rainwater. Formed around 80,000 years ago by an eruption, water collected in the crater. The lake is now nearly 30 meters deep, but it's gradually silted up from the edges inward, causing it to shrink. However, this does not diminish its cozy atmosphere.

Narrow wooden walkways jut out into the water inviting you to linger. Unfortunately, you can't swim or fish here. Since the '90s, the lake has been a nature reserve, banning recreational activities. The reason: Rare white blooming bogbean, marsh cinquefoil, or peat mosses have found a home in the shoreline zones, occasionally fluttered over by rare and endangered dragonfly species like the 'Shining Emerald Dragonfly' or the 'Common Green Darner.'

The lake is surrounded by a ring wall up to 30 meters high. That means a short but strenuous climb is necessary to see over the crater rim and ultimately view the water. But it's worth it for the view over the surrounding Eifel and the Mosenberg-Meerfeld volcanic group.

Among the forests of the Westerwald are marshlands that were once created as fish ponds but appear as naturally formed lakes. They include:

In 1691, Count Friedrich of Wied had the Haidenweiher created for fish farming. It is located just 1.3 kilometers southwest of the village of Dreifelden in the Westerwaldkreis. With its approximately 30-hectare size, it is the second-largest pond in the Westerwald Lake District.

Nearly 300 years later, Haidenweiher is a nature reserve surrounded by dense forest, providing a habitat for animals - including rare swamp birds - both in, around, and above the lake. Furthermore, since 2019, the pond and other ponds in the Westerwald Lake District have been part of the Nabu Foundation National Natural Heritage.

There are very few natural lakes in the Palatinate Forest that are larger than a pond. However, there are more reservoirs, also known as Woogen. They were constructed as water reservoirs for mills and for fish farming.

'Reservoir of the Ice' translates to the name 'Eiswoog'. Ice refers to Eisbach, a left tributary of the Rhine that is dammed here. The reservoir nestles southwest of the town of Ramsen and into the northern Palatinate Forest landscape. Its water surface measures 2.7 hectares. A hotel-restaurant sits atop the dam wall and also rents rowboats.

If you prefer to move around the water, you can walk the three-kilometer circular hiking trail. Thanks to a model project by the University of Kaiserslautern, it is partially a barrier-free nature experience trail. This allows people with visual and physical disabilities and families with strollers to reach a viewing platform, access the shores, and explore the panorama path.

You should know the place Waldfischbach-Burgalben in the Schwarzbachtal in the Palatinate Forest if you enjoy small lakes and camping. Here, at the small natural bathing lake, which is 450 meters long and 90 meters wide, there is a four-star campground.

Good swimmers can reach the small island in the middle of the lake. Thanks to the above-average water quality, it's a pleasant treat. The shore area is flat and therefore family-friendly. The lake is open from Easter until the end of October. And even in less warm weather, the green surrounding invites you to explore.

Technically speaking, Silzer Lake is a small reservoir of the Klingbach in the southern Palatinate Forest. The place Silz is only a few meters away, as is the Wild- and Hiking Park Southern Wine Route. Also, historic castles like Lindelbrunn, Berwartstein, or Drachenfels are nearby. In short: Silzer Lake is a small recreational area with a length of around 300 and an average width of about 50 meters.

As with many other lake counterparts, you can also stroll around the lake here, use a tree educational path, or utilize the wide, grassy banks on the north and south sides of the water as sunbathing lawns.

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