Brabrand Lake

Brabrand Lake
Brabrand Lake, stretching west.
Location	Midtjylland
Coordinates	56°08′42″N 10°07′12″E / 56.145°N 10.120°E / 56.145; 10.120Coordinates: 56°08′42″N 10°07′12″E / 56.145°N 10.120°E / 56.145; 10.120
Type	tunnel valley
Primary inflows	Aarhus River, Døde Å, Voldbækken, Lyngbygård Å, Madsesbæk, Kildebæk.
Primary outflows	Aarhus River
Catchment area	282 km2 (109 sq mi)
Surface area	2.53 km2 (0.98 sq mi) Brabrand Lake: 1.53 km2 (0.59 sq mi) Årselv Engsø: 1.00 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
Average depth	Brabrand Lake: 1.1 m (3.6 ft) Årslev Engsø: 0.5 m (1.6 ft)
Max. depth	Brabrand Lake: 2.7 m (8.9 ft) Årslev Engsø: 2 m (6.6 ft)
Shore length1	18 km (11 mi) Brabrand Lake: 10 km (6.2 mi) Årselv Engsø: 8 km (5.0 mi)
Surface elevation	0.63 m (2.1 ft)
Settlements	Aarhus
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Brabrand Lake (Danish: Brabrand-søen or Brabrand Sø) is a lake in the district of Brabrand (Gellerup), west of Aarhus city, Denmark. The Aarhus River passes through Brabrand Lake and it is possible to canoe all the way to the inner city from here. The lake is oblong-shaped.

Since 2003, Brabrand Lake has been steadily extended 3–4 km further west, with the new lake of Årslev Engsø (lit.: Årslev meadow lake). In 2001–2, it was politically decided to abandon the artificial draining of the meadows and as of 2013, Årslev meadow lake has a surface area of around 100 hectares (250 acres). The total area including adjoining meadows and reed beds totals 240 hectares (590 acres). It is hoped that Eurasian bittern and otter will find themselves a new home here with time. In everyday parlance, "Brabrand Lake" is a general term including the surroundings as well, indicating a total area of around 560 hectares (1,400 acres) with 253 hectares (630 acres) for the lake alone.

A special Natura2000 protected area under the European Union, Brabrand Lake is home to a large variety of birds and an important resting place for migrating birds, with several towers built to facilitate bird-watching. A public hiking trail surrounds the lake, whose landscape varies from wide meadows and reed beds to dense woods. Privately-owned pastures almost completely surround the lake and are not publicly accessible, but public paths leading to the lake are scattered in between. There are several garden allotments ("kolonihaver" in Danish) near Brabrand Lake and it is a popular recreational spot. It is a statutory goal of the Aarhus municipality to make the area publicly accessible and attractive to the public.

Brabandstien (lit.: the Brabrand pathway), which runs along the Aarhus river from the inner city and around both Brabrand Sø and Årslev Engsø, was established by the City Council in 1956 as a labor project for the unemployed, to give the public better access to green space. The pathway is 19 km long, with 10 km for Brabrand Lake alone. With the addition of Årslev Engsø, the pathway grew another 10 km. A large part of Brabrandstien is asphalted and is popular for cycling, rollerskating and jogging. Some of the graveled western parts are used for horseback riding. Cars are not allowed and motor vehicles are restricted. Brabrandstien is part of the Aarhus-Silkeborg hiking trail.