Mahlsdorf: Elsensee

Elsensee is a small water body and surrounding natural area offering recreational opportunities and green surroundings. The defining local feature of Elsensee is the relationship between water, shorelines, access paths and the housing or open space immediately around them. How Elsensee is used over the course of the day depends on views, recreational routes and abrupt transitions between built blocks and a more open waterside setting. Elsensee lies in the borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, about 14 km east of central Berlin. The transitions from Elsensee toward Kaulsdorf Süd and Pilgramer Straße are gradual, marked by changes in building form, traffic and greenery. The character of Elsensee is clearest along everyday routes between homes, public space and nearby destinations. Together, these elements make the stronger sense of space created by the water within the surrounding district central to the identity of Elsensee.