The monks' small lake was located just south of Varnhem's monastery, which was connected to the church.
When the monks came to Varnhem in the 12th century, they needed water - and simply dammed up a lake.
There they could fish and get water for animals and laundry.
The small lake, or wetland, was part of the ingenious water system that the monks established at the monastery in Varnhem.
- The restored lake will give a completely new experience of the area and make it easier to understand how big the monastery was, says Maria Vretemark.
Should attract tourists
The hope is that the lake will help attract tourists to Varnhem, where the monastery church and surroundings are already a well-known destination.
But it is not just a tourist trap that is being built.
The wetland is expected to mean high benefits for the natural environment by regulating the amount of water in the landscape, pure nutrients and increasing biodiversity.
A bit like Hornborgasjör restoration in the 90s but in mini format.
When the monastery disappeared in the 16th century, the lake began to decay and the last remains were wiped out more than 100 years ago.
In 2018, it was decided that it would be recreated again.
During February and March this year, the work has been going on and on Friday it was ready to let go of the water.
Behind the project is Skara municipality.
During February and March, work has been underway to prepare for the release of water into the monks' lake, which is now being recreated.
Photo: Maria Vretemark
- Today we released on the water.
Now it will take a couple of weeks before we have an area with open water again, says Marie Wennerholm, tourist strategist at Skara municipality.