Krumme Lanke Swimming Guide
Krumme Lanke is the smaller, curvier sibling to Schlachtensee: a forest lake in Zehlendorf with a U-Bahn station named after it, a loop path, and enough easy shore access that it becomes busy the moment Berlin gets properly hot. It is a free lake swim, not a lido day.
Quick Facts
| Need | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Free forest swim, small groups, walk-and-dip plans |
| Official spot | Krumme Lanke, part of the Grunewaldseen |
| Facilities | No WC listed by LAGeSo; no lido setup |
| Bathrooms | Use nearby businesses or plan before arrival; do not count on lake toilets |
| Access | U3 to Krumme Lanke, then walk through the neighborhood/forest edge |
| Crowd note | The small lawns fill fast; keep walking if the first shore is packed |
| Water-quality source | LAGeSo Krumme Lanke detail |
Map And Official Links
- OpenStreetMap: Krumme Lanke
- LAGeSo bathing spot detail
- LAGeSo Grunewaldseen profile
- Berlin.de: Krumme Lanke
- visitBerlin: Krumme Lanke
How To Use It
Use Krumme Lanke when you want the Grunewald-lake feeling but do not need the bigger picnic lawns of Schlachtensee. The water is reached by informal bank entries rather than a single big beach. That makes it flexible, but it also means you should bring only what you can carry and keep clear of reed beds and eroded slopes.
If bathrooms matter, choose Schlachtensee instead, where LAGeSo lists a mobile WC, or use a managed lido such as Wannsee, Jungfernheide, or Plötzensee. Krumme Lanke is better for people who can travel light.
History And Odd Details
The name is literal: Krumme Lanke means roughly “crooked lake”, and visitBerlin notes that it comes from the lake’s curved shape. The lake is part of the Grunewald chain, a string of Ice Age lakes and wetland depressions running through south-west Berlin.
A proper lido once existed here. The Brücke Museum notes that the Krumme Lanke lido operated from 1905 until around 1950 and had slides and a diving platform. That is hard to imagine now, because the lake feels like an informal forest swim.
The nearby Waldsiedlung Krumme Lanke has a darker architectural history: it was planned in the Nazi period. That history is separate from the swim itself, but it is part of the neighborhood context around the lake.
Before You Go
Check the LAGeSo page on the day for water quality and warnings. Bring water, take trash out, avoid damaged banks, and keep music low. The lake works best as a simple swim, not as a full-service beach day.
Photo: Krumme Lanke by Lukas Beck via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources: LAGeSo, Berlin.de, visitBerlin, Brücke Museum.