or is a small lake in Tromsø Municipality in

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English), is a county in northern Norway that was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The lake sits at the highest point on the central part of the island of Tromsøya inside the city of Tromsø. Prestvannet was built up as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

in 1867, and continued in that role until 1921. Since then it has been used as park land and a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. The pond area has been preserved as a nesting place for various

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s. The pond and its surrounding wooded area form an important natural area for the Tromsø area. Encircling the pond is a track commonly used for recreational activities and sports, as well as a nature trail with plaques giving information about the local wildlife. In the winter, the frozen pond is a popular place for

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

Media gallery

Prestvannet_Tromso.jpg, Prestvannet during winter. Prestvannet-Middagstind.jpg, View towards southwest. The tall mountain in the background is Middagstind on Kvaløya. Prestvannet-parkvei.jpg, Nature path near Prestvannet Prestvannet-Tromsdalstinden.jpg, Another view of the lake

References

Tromsø Reservoirs in Norway Lakes of Troms og Finnmark {{norway-lake-stub