| Großer Plöner See | |
|---|---|
|
Jetty at Bosau
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| Location | Eastern Schleswig-Holstein |
| Coordinates | 54°7′49″N 10°24′51″E / 54.13028°N 10.41417°ECoordinates: 54°7′49″N 10°24′51″E / 54.13028°N 10.41417°E |
| Primary inflows | Schwentine |
| Primary outflows | Schwentine |
| Catchment area | 393 km2 (152 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Germany |
| Max. length | 8.3 km (5.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 7.1 km (4.4 mi) |
| Surface area | 29.97 km2 (11.57 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 13.54 m (44.4 ft) |
| Max. depth | 58 m (190 ft) (east of Nehmten) |
| Water volume | 373×106 m3 (13.2×109 cu ft) |
| Residence time | 3 years |
| Shore length1 | 49.6 km (30.8 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Settlements | Plön, Dersau, Bosau, Ascheberg |
| References | Von Natur aus oligotrophes Gewässer, durch Umwelteinflüsse trotz eingeleiteter Gegenmaßnahmen jedoch noch immer leicht eutroph |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The Großer Plöner See ("Great Plön Lake") or Lake Plön is the largest lake (30 km²) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön. Its main tributary, as well as its main outflow, is the River Schwentine.
With an area of about 30 km² and a depth of up to 58 m the Großer Plöner See is the largest and deepest lake in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It lies wholly within the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park.
On its north shore lies the county town of Plön, whose emblem depicts the lake below Plön Castle situated on a hill. Other settlements on the shore of the Großer Plöner See are Bosau, Dersau and Ascheberg.
The Große Plöner See emerged as a consequence of the glaciation of Schleswig-Holstein after the last ice age. It is a typical Weichselian glacial lake known as a Zungenbecken, whose shape may be especially well seen on the southern shore between Bosau and Nehmten. Two glaciers were largely responsible for forming the 58 m deep Plön Basin in the east at and shallower 30 m deep Ascherberger Basin in the west. The northern boundary of the lake consists of a land bridge between the Great and Little Plön Lakes, which was formed during a later advance of the ice sheet as a terminal moraine.
The eastern and the western parts of the lake are connected by an area of shallow water which was designated in 1992 as a nature reserve. In this area is the largest of the islands, providing a sheltered and quiet, breeding and moulting area for bird species such as white-tailed eagle, goldeneye, goosander and greylag goose.