Dümmer | |
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at sunset
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Location | Lower Saxony |
Coordinates | 52°30′N 8°21′E / 52.500°N 8.350°ECoordinates: 52°30′N 8°21′E / 52.500°N 8.350°E |
Primary inflows | Hunte |
Primary outflows | Hunte |
Basin countries | Germany |
Surface area | 13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi) |
Average depth | 1 m (3 ft 3 in) |
Max. depth | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
Surface elevation | 37 m (121 ft) |
Settlements | Lembruch, Hüde, Damme |
The Dümmer or officially Dümmer See is a large lake in southern Lower Saxony (Germany). It has a surface of 13.5 km² and an average depth of one metre. Its elevation is 37 metres.
Dümmer is a popular resort for water sports, but also an important biotope for water birds and located in a zone especially frequented by migratory birds. A large section of its shore is protected by nature reserve areas.
The Dümmer is located in the 300-acre (1.2 km2) Dümmer depression. One and a half miles to the west, the Damme Hills begin to rise, eventually reaching a height of 145 m. Around the lake are fens (Niedermoore) and raised bogs (Hochmoore). The lake lies in the Dümmer Nature Park, which is just under 500 km² in area, and in which the Damme Hills and Stemweder Berg form the central elements of the landscape.
The open water of the lake belongs entirely to the district of Diepholz, but on its western shore the district of Vechta extends up to the dyke foreland. Near Dümmerlohausen the district boundary comes within a few metres of the shoreline. To the southwest by the mouth of the River Hunte a tip of the territory of the district of Osnabrück advances to within half a kilometre of the lake. Whilst Diepholz district belonged to the Electorate of Hanover from 1585 (County of Diepholz) and 1582 (County of Hoya), the territory of the district of Vechta belonged for centuries to the Diocese of Münster and only became part of Oldenburg in 1803 after the German Mediatisation. Hence it counts as part of Oldenburg Münsterland.