Francis Lake

Francis Lake
Francis Lake
Geographical location	North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
Islands	three unnamed islands
Places on the shore	Bruehl (Rhineland)
Location close to the shore	Erftstadt
Data
Coordinates	50 ° 49 '23 "  N , 6 ° 50' 46"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 49 '23 "  N , 6 ° 50' 46"  E
Altitude above sea level	98.9 m
surface	16.1 ha
length	800 m
width	380 m
volume	630,000 m³
Maximum depth	6.8 m
Middle deep	3.9 m
PH value	8.0
particularities	Remaining lake from an open-cast lignite mine with a colony of gulls
Map of the Villeseen

The Franziskussee is an artificially created body of water in Brühl , a city in the Rhein-Erft district in North Rhine-Westphalia . It is part of the villa lakes of the Rhineland Nature Park , created by the mining of lignite .

location

The lake is located in the far north-west of the district ; The federal highway 265 passes to the north. To the west are the Karauschenweiher and the Liblarer See , to the south the Mittelsee and the Untersee . To the east are the Schluchtsee and Heider Bergsee . The Franziskussee is mainly fed by groundwater that flows in from the surrounding area. Water seeps into the submarine to the same extent. There is a pollution from lignite ash, which leads to an increased content of lead , arsenic , chromium and copper in the lake.

history

Lignite was mined in the region from the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. From 1925 measures began to recultivate the land . The existing opencast mining holes were filled with groundwater and were largely left to their further development. In this way, the Franziskussee was created in 1964 in the southern district. In 1966 the German Armed Forces created two islands to give birds a nesting place. The resting place was adopted by common gulls and black-backed gulls . The lake was therefore initially designated as a landscape protection area in 1972 and has been in parts under nature protection together with the forest stands adjacent to the south and west since 1984.

fauna and Flora

In the nutrient-poor water, golden-brown algae , diatoms , Pfiesteria , the whorled thousand-leaf and the European sea jug were detected. The water louse and the wandering mussel also live there . The fish population consists mainly of eels , pike and tench . The banks are covered with reeds , the narrow-leaved cattail and the branchy hedgehog . There 12 species of dragonflies could be detected, including the western wedge damsel , which is endangered in North Rhine-Westphalia . Experts were also able to detect the common toad and the common frog .

Particularly interesting are the approximately 30 to 40 breeding pairs of birds of gulls. In addition scrim are the great crested grebe , the tufted duck and the reed warbler . The Recultivation Research Center points out the special importance of the lake as a long-term breeding site for rare breeding bird species. It states that the Common Gull Colony is the largest breeding colony of its kind in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Use and development

The lake is designated as bathing water. Fishing is allowed with a fishing license . There is an extensive network of hiking trails around the water. The recultivation research center points out that maintenance measures are required on the two islands in order to preserve the breeding bird colony. In a report by the BTU on the lignite mining lakes in Germany, it is recommended to reduce the population of eels in order to be able to use endangered small fish such as the bitterling or the moderlieschen .

Web links

Commons : Franziskussee  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Brigitte Nixdorf, Mike Hemm, Anja Schlundt, Maria Kapfer, Harwig Krumbeck of the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus in cooperation with the UFZ Magdeburg on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency: Brown coal opencast mining lakes in Germany , final report, 1996, p. 519
2. ↑ Uli Kreikebaum: A paradise for birds . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , June 6, 2011, accessed on October 3, 2019.
3. ^ Franziskussee , website of the Research Center Recultivation, accessed on October 3, 2019.