Weikerlsee

The Weikerlsee consists of the Kleine Weikerlsee (Small Weikerl Lake) and the Große Weikerlsee (Large Weikerl Lake), which are connected by a waterway. The lakes are located southeast of Linz, in the urban district of Pichling, near the mouth of the Traun river and north of SolarCity, a sustainable housing project.

History of the Weikerlsee

The Weikerlsee was not always a leisure area. In fact, it was created as a result of gravel mining that took place in the region since the 1930s. The gravel was used for the construction of the Hermann-Göring-Werke, a large steel plant that was part of the Nazi war industry, and later for the A1 Westautobahn, a major highway that connects Vienna and Salzburg. The gravel pits that were left behind filled with water and became bathing lakes.

The Weikerlsee was initially owned by VOEST, the successor company of the Hermann-Göring-Werke, which built a recreation facility with a restaurant, lido, and changing rooms in the 1950s. However, the facility was damaged by a flood in 1954 and was never fully restored. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Weikerlsee lost its popularity as a bathing spot, as the nearby Pichlinger See offered better water quality and more amenities. The Weikerlsee was then neglected and threatened by industrial pollution and urban development.

In 1982, there was a plan to fill the Große Weikerlsee with slag, a by-product of steel production, and build a bridge across the Traun river. This plan was opposed by the Nature Conservation Union, which argued that the Weikerlsee was a valuable natural habitat and a potential leisure area. The plan was eventually abandoned, and the huge pillars of the unfinished bridge still stand as a reminder of the failed project.

In 1994, the city of Linz bought the Weikerlsee from VOEST, with the intention of developing it as a local leisure area for the residents of SolarCity, which was built in the late 1990s. The city invested in improving the water quality, the infrastructure, and the landscaping of the Weikerlsee, and opened it to the public in 2001.

Features of the Weikerlsee

The Weikerlsee covers an area of about 30 hectares, with the Große Weikerlsee being 23.5 hectares and the Kleine Weikerlsee being 6.5 hectares. The Große Weikerlsee is 7 meters deep, while the Kleine Weikerlsee is 3 meters deep. Both lakes have low water temperatures due to groundwater sources, and the bottom is mud-covered.

The Weikerlsee is divided into two zones: the leisure area and the nature reserve. The leisure area is located around the Kleine Weikerlsee, which is the designated bathing lake. The leisure area features a green belt, several parking spaces, bathroom facilities, a snack bar, and a nudist area on the lake’s northern bank. The nudist area is separated from the textile beach by a bridge with a viewing platform. The leisure area also offers table tennis, volleyball, and a playground for children.

The nature reserve is located around the Große Weikerlsee, which is not open for swimming. The nature reserve is part of the Traun-Donau-Auen nature and European conservation area, which protects the wetlands and forests along the Traun and Danube rivers. The nature reserve is home to various species of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and plants. The nature reserve also has a rainwater retention basin south of the Große Weikerlsee, which is used for the Linz sewage network.

The nature reserve has strict rules to preserve the ecological balance and the tranquility of the area. These rules include: