The principal reason for the construction was to provide an alternative route for commercial shipping between Berlin (via the Dämeritzsee) and the Oder-Spree Canal (via the Seddinsee) during the 1936 Summer Olympics, when the more normal route via the Langer See was closed in order to use the regatta course at Grünau for the Olympic canoeing and rowing events.
Besides its natural connection to the River Dahme, the Oder-Spree Canal enters the lake on its eastern shore, whilst the Gosen Canal links the lake's northern end to the Dämeritzsee.