This afternoon I grabbed my towel and headed for
Schlachtensee — a lake in the south west of Berlin, surrounded by the vast Grunewald
forest that stretches beyond the city limits.
It’s been just over ten years since I swam in this lake —
the last time I was here Germany were hosting the world cup and I had a picnic
on the lakeshore. As I swim out through
bands of warmer and cooler water, beyond the dappled shade provided by alder
and poplar trees, I am alongside coots and great crested grebes bobbing about
on the surface, making occasional dives into the muddy depths. Large dragonflies skim across the water like
turquoise jewels in the sunshine. In the
distance I can the see the bright green reed banks on the other side — my
destination as I gradually leave the crowds behind.
In the early twentieth century speculative developers tried
to grab the lakeside to build private villas and restrict public access. Luckily a new city planner called Martin
Wagner stopped this from happening in the 1920s as part of his inclusive vision
for urban nature. How many swimmers know
that somebody had their future in mind nearly 100 years ago? This is public space at its best!
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