Lake Müritz

Müritz
Waren harbour during the Müritz Sail week
Location	Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Coordinates	53°25′N 12°41′E / 53.417°N 12.683°E / 53.417; 12.683Coordinates: 53°25′N 12°41′E / 53.417°N 12.683°E / 53.417; 12.683
Type	mesotrophic
Primary inflows	Elde
Primary outflows	Elde
Catchment area	663 km2 (256 sq mi)
Basin countries	Germany
Surface area	117 km2 (45 sq mi)
Average depth	6 m (20 ft)
Max. depth	31 m (102 ft)
Residence time	15 years (?)
Surface elevation	62 m (203 ft)
Settlements	Waren, Röbel

The  Müritz  ([ˈmyʁɪts]; from Slavic "little sea") is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. Its area is 117 km², which makes it the second largest lake in Germany (after Lake Constance) and the largest lake located entirely within German territory.

Its maximum depth is 31 metres (102 ft). It is fed and drained by the river Elde. Part of the Müritz and adjacent forests and wetlands are protected by the Müritz National Park. The former Müritz district was named after the lake. The biggest towns bordering the lake are Waren (Müritz) and Röbel, both major centres of tourism in the Mecklenburg Lake District.

Lake Müritz is part of the Müritz-Elde Waterway, a Class I federal waterway. It is managed by the Lauenburg Waterway and Shipping Authority (Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Lauenburg).

The Müritz Basin is divided into several large bays. Unlike the shallow eastern part of the lake, the western side is divided into several channel-like inlets like the Bays of Röbel and Sietow (Röbeler Bucht and Sietower Bucht). By the town of Waren on the northern shore of the lake is the Binnenmüritz, which contains the deepest point of the lake (−31 metres), and only has a narrow strait connecting it to the main basin of Lake Müritz. At the southern shore is the Little Müritz (Kleine Müritz) from which the Müritzarm and the Müritzsee branch off further to the south. Lake Müritz measures about 29 kilometres (18 mi) from north to south and about 13 kilometres (8 mi) from east to west; and has a catchment area of about 663 square kilometres (256 sq mi). The Müritz is crossed by the River Elde from south to north and has a link to the Kölpinsee in the west from the Binnenmüritz via the Reeck Canal (also Eldenburg Canal) which is a good two kilometres long. Because it also feeds the River Havel to the east via the Mirow Canal, which is part of the Müritz-Havel Waterway, and the Bolter Canal as well as via the chains of adjoining lakes, it has artificially been turned into a bifurcated waterway.