Scheibe See is located in the triangle between the municipalities of Spreetal and Lohsa and the town of Hoyerswerda. The lake has a water surface of 2.6 square miles (6.8 km2), corresponding to about 977 football fields. Flooding was completed in late 2011.
Scheibe See results from the Scheibe opencast mine. About 53 million metric tons of coal were mined there between 1984 and 1996. This equals the mass of more than 35 million cars. The eponymous village of Scheibe, which was first documented in 1568, had to be demolished to make way for the pit. 23 people were resettled in 1986/1987. Today, a memorial on the south-eastern shore that was inaugurated in June 2005 commemorates the village.
In contrast to other opencast mining pits, Scheibe See has the great advantage that the complete shoreline consists of natural ground. This means there is no danger of landslides.
The lake is turning into the new bathing site for the town of Hoyerswerda. One of altogether three bathing beaches is being constructed on the townwards side. A master plan for the future utilisation has been devised. Ideas include a climbing tower, a climbing path, a themed playground, a forest garden, a platform for the village of Scheibe, a holiday park and an exclusive residential project.
Already, a tarmacked path around the lake enables cyclists and inline skaters to circuit Scheibe See. The trail offers one beautiful aspect of the lake after another. Each year in late August, the lake provides the setting for the ‘KnappenMan’, one of the largest triathlon events in Lusatia.