Lomography

Badeinsel (Steinhude)
written by graefin on July 24th, 2008 , one comment (2 votes)

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When browsing through the Lomolocations I’ve already submitted to this ever growing collection of travel anecdotes you probably notice that most of my locations are situated near the water. Well, I grew up living near a huge lake so it couldn’t be avoided. The location I now present to you is situated in the village I was born and grew up in. It is called “Badeinsel” and was and still is the place to go in summer.

The Badeinsel was created out of a reed island that was situated near the shore. In 1975 people decided to use sand out of the Steinhuder Meer to create a beach on this island. They heaped up the reed island and a fake island was born, to be reached from the bank via a bridge. Houses were build on the island with showers, toilets, a bistro and a first-aid station. Playgrounds were also build for the children. So in summer we enjoyed playing in the warm sand, taking a swim and playing on the playgrounds – the best there were in our village! Additionally to the beach meadows were also created. They were and are still used for youth camps. In the late 1990s the old houses were demolished and a new building was erected powered by solar power. The Badeinsel was part of the Expo 2000 project.

Nowadays there still is a beach, but it’s getting smaller every year. The water takes back what once belonged to the bed of the lake. It is even more crowded in summer because it feels a bit like holiday being at the beach. The playgrounds are still huge and very good! It’s even fun to play there as a grown-up. Right now a digger disposes the accumulated mud around the island to make swimming more fun. Because the area around the beach was not deep enough anymore.

So if you come to Hanover this summer then don’t go to an open-air pool but take the train from the central station to Wunstorf and then the bus No. 711, 710 or 716 to Steinhude. Leave either at “Badeinsel” or at “Friedenseiche” and then follow the signs. It is a very nice place to be and makes you feel like holiday!