Kleinhesseloher Lake in the English Garden

Kleinhesseloher See is located right in the middle of the English Garden between Osterwaldgarten, Seehaus and the Mittlerer Ring or Isarring. It is a very popular excursion destination for the people of Munich, but also for Toruistas. The idyllic location is ideal for walks. Also very popular, especially for romantic hours – the Kleinhesseloher See boat rental.

The oasis in the English Garden

⇓ Info box “Kleinhesseloher See” with address, directions, parking and a map.

The idyllic path around the lake is lined with benches that invite you to linger and offer a beautiful view of the dark, reflective surface of the lake and the greenery of the English Garden. The idyllic location of the lake is ideal for walks.

The Kleinhesseloher lake in the English Garden
View of the lake – the Seehaus beer garden in the background

The Kleinhesseloher See was artificially created in 1803, with three small islands in the middle that were completely taken over by ducks and geese.

Great sunset at the Seehaus beer garden

On the lake itself is the Seehaus München with its beautiful beer garden. If you want to go for a walk, you can stop off there afterwards: The tables and benches in the beer garden are flush with the waterfront promenade and the view over offers a perfect sunset backdrop in the evening. The Osterwald beer garden, which is just a stone’s throw away, is also popular.

Popular activity – feeding the ducks and geese

View of the lake
Feeding ducks on the promenade

If you come to the lake early in the morning or late in the evening, you can see the many, many ducks looking for green food in the meadows around the lake. The lake is not suitable for swimming, it is not clean enough.

Boat rental with pedal boat or romantic rowing boat

A pedal boat or rowing boat tour on the cool water is also very popular and very romantic. The rental shop is located to the north, next to the Seehaus.

Boat hire at Kleinhesseloher See
Boat hire at Kleinhesseloher See

Bike rental

You can also hire ferry bikes directly at the boat hire.

Bike rental
Bike rental

Where does the water come from

The lake is fed by the Oberstjägermeisterbach, a tributary of the Eisbach. It is home to grass carp, tench and pike. In addition, beavers are settling here again and again, causing problems with the Bavarian Palace and Lake Administration because tree felling work is pending due to the “rodents”.

Over 200 years of history:

Reinhard Freiherr von Werneck created the lake in the southern part of the English Garden in 1803. From 1807 to 1812, Friedrich Ludwig Sckell more than doubled the lake to its current size. The lake was thus close to a small beer garden in Kleinhesselohe, which was the forerunner of today’s Seehaus. The islands in the lake are called Königsinsel, Kurfürsteninsel and Regenteninsel.

In winter – ice skating and curling

The Kleinhesseloher See is particularly popular in winter when it is frozen over. The people of Munich then use it for curling, ice skating, playing ice hockey or simply taking a stroll. The colorful hustle and bustle is beautiful to watch and if it is very cold, you can get a hot mulled wine in the Seehaus. Incidentally, the lake is not supposed to be particularly deep, if you fall in as an adult, you should be able to stand anywhere…

Infobox – Kleinhesseloher See

Address: Kleinhesselohe 3, 80802 Munich
Castles and Lakes Administration website
Directions:

By bus: take the 59 bus to the Osterwaldstraße stop

By subway: Take the subway 3 or U-6 to Münchner Freiheit station. From there, take bus number 59 or walk towards Kleinhesseloher See (approx. 10 minutes)

By car , take the Mittlerer Ring and turn into the Englischer Garten at the Kennedy Bridge or the Seehaus.

Parking: the Seehaus offers paid parking. There is also a row of parking spaces in Gyßlingstraße directly opposite Seehaus München.

Map and plan

Kleinhesseloher Lake in the English Garden
Kleinhesseloher Lake in the English Garden

Nearby: Seehaus Munich, Osterwaldgarten Munich, Kiosk at the lake inlet.