At the unofficial nudist beach, the embankment was illegally secured with wooden poles Photo: Olaf Selchow
By Isabel Pancake
Everywhere around the airport lake, Berliners sunbathe on picnic blankets, walk barefoot through the sand and cool off in the water. But that is actually forbidden!
The reason: the embankment could slide down. And that’s why the district of Reinickendorf prohibits entering the shore away from the signposted bathing areas…
Such signs indicate the prohibitions everywhere Photo: Olaf Selchow
The ban was even extended on Friday. Now there are even more signs at the gravel lake.
But most bathers don’t care. At the weekend, the airport lake was still full – whether on the official beach or at the unofficial bathing spots.
Michaela W. (52) with her husband Ümüt (50) from Reinickendorf: “I came here to swim when I was 12 or 13 years old. The water used to be two meters higher. We didn’t even see that there are now prohibition signs there.” Photo: Olaf Selchow
Access to the pedestrian walkway at the entrance to the airport lake is also currently blocked Photo: Olaf Selchow
“Is swimming forbidden here? I didn’t know that at all,” says Vlad (52) from Mitte. He regularly comes to the airport lake with his children in the summer. They play with action figures in the shallow water.
Vlad (52) from Mitte: “More and more lakes in Berlin are being closed so that in the end you only go swimming where it costs money. You can already see it at the Plötzensee. But I’m here regularly with my children” Photo: Olaf Selchow
A few meters further: the self-declared nudist bathing area. The district of Reinickendorf has a particular problem with the nudist corner. Because: One of the nude swimmers has attached thick wooden posts to the bank himself. “So that the embankment doesn’t crash down,” explains a bather.
Reinickendorf
According to the district, this invites you to swim in the dangerous area and also violates the landscape protection area ordinance. “The buildings […] will be eliminated”, according to the Reinickendorf district office. And then the following applies again: swimming is prohibited! Because then the embankment could finally slide down again…
The official bathing beach at the airport lake Photo: Olaf Selchow
Some bathers prefer to swim on the safe side anyway: there are also two official bathing areas on the dune at the deepest lake in Berlin. Without any bans.
