Auesee

Auesee is an artificial bathing lake in Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, about northwest from the state capital of Düsseldorf. A popular recreation spot, it has been referred to as the "jewel" of Wesel. Auesee was built from one of the largest gravel excavation sites in North Rhine-Westphalia.TerrainThe lake has a surface area of 1.55sqkm. Within the lake there are distinct areas of shallow water with depths up to, while its deepest point is. The main lake basin is stable, and the banks are fixed. A peninsula stretching into the lake from the southeast divides the waters into a north-east and a south-west basin, both of which are connected to the north basin. As an artificial lake, Auesee has no inflow or outflow, and is fed exclusively by groundwater.HistoryThe formation of Auesee was initiated as a partnership between the municipality of Wesel and the excavating company Hülskens & Co. Negotiations began in 1959, and resulted in an agreement that the company would remove gravel from the site to use in their gravel pit, and the city would fill in the resulting pit to form a bathing lake. The project broke ground in May 1963 and excavation continued until 1993.The beach was first opened on a provisional basis in 1970, and proved to be an immediate success. Construction on the jetty and slipway for recreational boating began in 1971, and these areas were opened to the public in 1980.