100 JULY 2019
GERMANY’S LAKE DISTRICT
Michael Krumm in the air at Lake Brombachsee.
PHOTO Michael Krumm.
FRANCONIAN LAKE DISTRICT
The Franconian Lake District consists exclu-
sively of artificial lakes, about 50 km southwest
of Nuremberg. The area was created to coun-
teract the drought in northern Bavaria and was
completely finished in 2000.
Here is a guide to its main spots.
LAKE BROMBACHSEE
This lake in the Franconian Lake District is fa-
voured by pure west or east wind, as the wind can
then move freely through the valley. Best time
is spring and autumn, with standout days being
mostly in winter, when hardly anyone (except for
a small crew that is always there) comes to the lake.
ALLMANNSDORF
This spot on Brombachsee is best on southwest
or west winds and has a large sandy beach and
grassy area for rigging. When the wind is up it
offers good jumping and due to a concrete pier
and sandbar can also offer good flat water condi-
tions depending on the water level. It’s a perfect
place for moves or gybing, the only downside is
that it can be extremely crowded on weekends,
similar to Torbole on Lake Garda on good days.
RAMSBERG
Ramsberg on Brombachsee is the spot to go for
north, northwest and east winds, offering a lot of
space and a large grassy area for rigging.
SEESPITZ
This Brombachsee spot only works in strong east
or west winds. In east winds a decent wave builds
up for jumping and in west winds it is mirror
smooth but very gusty.BADEHALBINSEL
Badehalbinsel, on the lake known as ‘Small Brom-
bachsee’, only works with east / southeast winds, but
then it can be a real gem of a spot and has a small
windsurf centre (www.surfschulebrombachsee.de).LAKE ALTMÜHLSEE
Altmühlsee is another lake in the Franconian Lake
District and in contrast to Brombachsee caters for
winds from all directions. The best are directions
from NW-N and it is the preferred spot over
Brombachsee in these directions.Directly at the spot is a large windsurf centre,
(www.surfcenter-altmuehlsee.de), shop and mo-
torhome park. This is the best place if you want
to stay in one place for a long time. Here in the
summer on humid days (even without predicted
wind) in the late afternoon, one or two hours of
wind can often be found. Otherwise, the wind
probability is the same as for Brombachsee.WIND AND WEATHER
The best time to visit is spring and autumn. On
normal days you use sails between 4.8 and 7.0,
depending on whether you are into freeride or free-
style. In storms, which unfortunately happen only
a few times a year, than 3.7 sails and a wave board
can be used. Best weather conditions are with pass-
ing lows from the west. On http://www.addicted-sports.
com they have webcams to some of the spots.
The water isn ́t cold in summer and averages 17- 20 degrees, depending on the lake; Walchensee
& Kochelsee are a little colder because of the Alps.
Sometimes a shorty or a 3/2 full suit is needed, it
depends on the rider, normally you can go with a
long sleeved lycra and board shorts. At other times
of year you will need your full winter gear.NO WIND OPTIONS
Around the lakes are countless opportunities for
cycling or hiking. At Pleinfeld, near Brombach-
see, there is a summer toboggan run. There are
also many boat rental options available as well
as SUP and a new wakeboarding facility at the
Zeltwiese in Absberg on ‘Small Brombachsee’.ACCOMMODATION
The Bavarian lakes are perfect for a road trip and
there are lots of hotels right on the lake shores
or close to them. At ‘Small Brombachsee’ there
is a hotel right on the beach (Strandhotel Seehof
in Langlau). In Ramsberg there is the “Floating
Village”, which are apartments on the water. There
are also campsites in Enderndorf and Langlau at
Lake Brombachsee, as well as at Lake Altmühlsee.
At Badehelbinsel in Absberg and the windsurf
centre at Altmühlsee there are camping pitches
with electricity, showers, shops, etc. Otherwise
there are plenty of apartments around the lake for
rent at the usual websites, such as Airbnb.“THE BAVARIAN
LAKES ARE PERFECT
FOR A ROAD TRIP.”