Lakes and Rivers

The Tiefer See ("Deep Lake") lies east of Potsdam’s city center, between the Berliner Vorstadt district to the north and west, and Babelsberg Park to the south and east. It is part of the flowing course of the River Havel.

Jungfernsee is a glacially formed basin and tunnel valley lake. Today, it is part of the flowing course of the River Havel. The lake stretches 3.52 kilometers from northwest to southeast, lying crosswise to the Havel’s natural flow direction within the row of Havel lakes.

The Havel Bay (Havelbucht), whose northern shore is home to the famous Steam Engine House—also known as the “Mosque” due to its oriental-style architecture—was partially filled in during the 1980s to extend Breite Straße.

Sacrower See is a valuable and natural body of water. Covering an area of approximately 110 hectares, it is a glacial tunnel valley lake (Rinnensee) with steeply sloping banks.

Most of the lakeshore is shaped by Potsdam’s city center and the districts of Brandenburger Vorstadt, Teltower Vorstadt, and Templiner Vorstadt.

The riverside promenade opposite Friendship Island stretches between the Lange Brücke (Long Bridge) and the Heilig-Geist-Spital (Holy Spirit Hospital). Along the restored quay wall, visitors can stroll from the Alte Markt (Old Market), passing flower and perennial beds, across the new bridge to Friendship Island or continue on to Große Fischerstraße.

Nuthepark, located on former lowland meadows at the mouth of the Nuthe River—a previously neglected area with remnants of shipyards and old bathing facilities—is now a naturalistic landscaped park featuring play areas and open lawns.

The Heilige See ("Holy Lake") is a landscaped park lake, artificially connected to the Jungfernsee via the Hasengraben canal. Its shores are largely undeveloped.

The Nuthe is a tributary of the Havel River.

The Havel Canal is a federal waterway, constructed between 1951 and 1953 to provide a bypass around the then West Berlin.