Bergsee Ratscher

Germany Lake 1 - Excellent

Bergsee Ratscher is a reservoir constructed between 1975 and 1983 in the Thuringian Forest for flood retention of spring floods. The water body is used for bathing during the bathing season. The catchment area covers 120 km² in the mountainous landscape of the Thuringian Forest. The lake was closed for maintenance and dam renovation work from early 2025 to 2026 and became accessible to the public again in the 2026 bathing season.

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Water

Reservoir (Talsperre). Water surface area: 1.02 km². Maximum water depth: 5.3 m. Elevation of mean water level: 395.15 m above sea level. Water renewal time: 0.142 years. Artificial water level fluctuations less than 0.5 m during bathing season. Shore composition includes rock, stone, gravel, sand, and meadow. Catchment area: 120 km² in the Thuringian Forest with mean inflow of 2.21 m³/s.

Location

Ratscher, municipality of Schleusingen (98553), Thuringia, Germany. Coordinates: longitude 10.7890, latitude 50.4919 (ETRS89 system). Parking and campsite available.

Facilities

Toilets, meadow, car park, kiosk, campsite.

Season

The bathing season closure ended in 2026. The reservoir is accessible to the public during the bathing season.

Water Quality

Ecological status class: ÖKZ 1 (very good), oligotrophic. Primary inflows are the Schleuse and Wiedersbach streams. The Schleuse is the largest inflow in the catchment. Agricultural use in the catchment area is low (approximately 1.4% sealed surface). One residential area and one campsite are present in the catchment.