Olympic Lake and Hill

The 8.6 hectare Olympic Lake was created by damming the Nymphenburg-Biederstein Canal, which was built in the 18th century. The lake shore runs in a variety of curved shapes and forms peninsulas, bays and narrow passages. Bridges and footbridges provide crossings and access. There is a bird island in the western part of the water. The lake also serves to collect the masses of water from the sealed surfaces during heavy rain. The Olympic Hill, artificially created from the rubble of the Second World War, is based on the Alpine foothills in its design. Munich's highest elevation (565 meters above sea level) measures 60 meters to the summit and is a popular viewing point. The Olympic Hill ('Olympiaberg') completes the classic Olympic triad of sports facility, lake and hill. The landscape architect Günther Grzimek wanted visitors to appropriate the park and the hill, to take possession of it as a functional landscape and to design it themselves in the form of footpaths.