Before a swimming day, consult Brandenburg's official bathing-water portal. It distinguishes a current assessment from a classification based on several previous bathing seasons. Reading only a coloured symbol or the word excellent can blur that distinction. For a decision on your visit day, the location, time reference and additional notices must be considered together.
Find the precise bathing location first
Search for the lake, then check the location of the named bathing place. At a larger lake, information may concern a particular site. A matching lake name alone does not confirm that you have opened the right shore section.
Compare the entry with your intended approach. If you have selected another place, return to the search rather than transferring its details. Save the direct entry if useful so that you can check it again before departure.
Understand the time reference
The classification covering several years describes a longer-term assessment framework. The current assessment and warning notices provide more recent information relevant to a visit. Read dates carefully: a measurement or notice is not automatically from today.
If an entry reports concerns, advises against swimming or states a prohibition, read the full notice. A favourable long-term classification alongside it does not cancel the current message. Do not create your own average that downplays a warning.
Stay attentive on arrival
Official online information does not replace signs at the access point or instructions from an operator. Follow local notices even if an earlier saved screen showed a different situation. Clear-looking water is not an independent quality test either.
If dependable information for the intended spot is missing, do not infer either good or poor water quality. Choose another programme when uncertain or ask the responsible authority. A lake visit can still be worthwhile without entering the water.
Common questions
Does excellent mean permission to swim today?
No. Check the period covered by the classification, then read the current assessment and every warning notice as well.
Can information be applied to a neighbouring lake?
No. It must match the actual lake and named bathing site. Similar appearance or proximity does not establish that connection.
