If you currently want to take a refreshing dip in the Edersee, you first have to cross a desert of sand and stone before you can reach the cool water.

The persistent drought causes the level of the largest reservoir in Hesse to drop further and further, exposing the shore.

The body of water is currently only one-fifth full.

Some leisure activities are no longer possible - and that in the summer holidays.

“The surf school closed a few days ago.

Passenger shipping is only possible to a limited extent.

The same applies to boat rental,” says Claus Günther, Managing Director of Edersee Marketing GmbH.

There hasn't been a wave of cancellations so far, but the attraction of the lake is waning.

"We notice a lower level of popularity, especially among day visitors." This also affects leisure activities such as the climbing park and the mountain railway.

Sentiment among residents at rock bottom

The fill level of the Edersee is 19 percent, says Jens Köhne from the Weser Waterways and Shipping Office.

The office is responsible for the management of the Edertalsperre in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg, which can dam 200 million cubic meters of water with its 48 meter high dam.

According to the office, there are currently only 37 million cubic meters.

The water of the Edersee is used to regulate the Weser and the Mittelland Canal. 

Normally, 30 cubic meters of water per second are released.

If the level slips below the 40 million cubic meter mark, as is currently the case, the minimum delivery volume is reduced to six cubic meters per second.

This has consequences for the Upper Weser: "Due to the low level, commercial and leisure shipping is currently no longer possible there," says Köhne.

Because of the drought, the fee had to be curtailed early this summer, he explains.

In order to ease the situation, it takes a lot of continuous rain.

But that is not in sight.

"If no rain falls, the level will continue to drop," predicts Köhne.

If the critical mark of 20 million cubic meters of water is reached, the levy will be further reduced.

"Then only what flows in is given away," says Köhne.

This has ecological reasons and serves, for example, to protect the fish. 

The low water level is not only a problem for shipping.

The Edersee is a tourist magnet.

Low water has been a problem for residents for years.

The mood is currently at its lowest point, says Winfried Geisler from the Eder-Diemel regional association, which represents the interests of municipalities, water sports enthusiasts, hoteliers and restaurateurs.

You are suffering from the fourth low water in five years.

"The region can't cope with that," says Geisler.

In the water sports area, cancellations hail.

Boats would have to be brought ashore now to avoid running aground.

The gastronomy is also suffering.

"The damage is in the millions." "Climate change has hit us hard in recent years," says Günther.

“The Edersee used to be the largest swimming pool in Hesse.

That is no longer reflected.”  

And it affects tourism.

After all, many guests come because of the Edersee, of which there is currently not much to see.

A side effect of the low water is both an attraction and a warning signal: as a result of the drought, the "Edersee-Atlantis" appears earlier than usual.

The remains of three abandoned villages on the bottom of the lake can usually only be seen in September or October, says Günther.

Now structures are already appearing that are very rarely seen - such as a mini model of the Edersee dam.

The regional association calls for a change in water management.

"Water withdrawals should be limited to the minimum delivery quantity from July 15 to August 15 if the mark of 125 million cubic meters in the Edersee has been undercut," explains Geisler, explaining the association's "Stop line 125 concept".

This year, however, nothing can be saved, but it is all the more important to have a perspective for the next and subsequent years.