Berzdorfer See
lake in Saxony, Germany
The Berzdorfer See or Lake Berzdorf is located at the southern city limits of Görlitz in Upper Lusatia. It consists of the residual hole of the former Berzdorf open-cast lignite mine, which was flooded from 2002 to the beginning of 2013. The lake forms the southeastern corner of the Lusatian Lake District. With its volume of about 330 million cubic meters and a water depth of max. 72 meters on an area of 960 hectares, it is one of the largest lakes in Saxony. Its name derives from the small village Berzdorf, which was devastated in 1969/70.
Geography
Lake Berzdorf is about five kilometers long and two kilometers wide and is located on the southern border of the city of Görlitz in Eastern Upper Lusatia. The Görlitz districts of Hagenwerder, Klein Neundorf and Tauchritz as well as the communities of Markersdorf and Schönau-Berzdorf border the former open pit mine. The lake water level is 186 m above sea level.
Leisure
Since August 2007 it is possible to sail on Lake Berzdorf.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Berzdorfer See” as lake in Saxony, Germany. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as lake in Saxony, Germany. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q525108. Authority coordinates are 51.083, 14.950. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002, 2013, 1969 and 2007.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Berzdorfer See”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Berzdorfer See primary sources, Berzdorfer See archive and Berzdorfer research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Berzdorfer See”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Berzdorfer See” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.