Lake Rusałka

Lake Rusałka is an artificial reservoir of elongated shape, formed in the Middle Ages as a result of damming up the Osówka flowing there. This was due to two water mills which were constructed in such a way that ended up on the lake as a result of their work. These were the Lübsche Mill (now non-existent) positioned on the western shore and the Słodowy [Malt] Mill (in the eastern part of the lake). The land surrounding the lake was transformed into a park in 1900 (the today's Kasprowicz Park) and the Słodowy Mill was converted into a restaurant Haus am Westendsee (from the German name of Lake Westendsee). There is also a picturesque bridge with annexes in a Japanese style over the lake. The lake was full of boats, which could be rented in the summer, but was a popular ice-skating rink in the winter. The buildings, intact after the hostilities of World War II, gradually began to fall into disrepair. The mill and its turrets on the banks of the bridge were demolished in the 1960s. An amphitheatre (the Helena Majdaniec Summer Theatre) was built in the years 1974 - 1976 on the slope descending to Lake Rusałka. Currently, the shores of Lake Rusałka are still a popular place for walks of the residents of Szczecin.