Biogenic silica data characterize lacustrine sediments and support the palaeoclimatic interpretation of interglacials for the Middle Pleistocene sediment record from the crater basin of Rodderberg, GermanyA 72.8 m long sediment record was recovered by means of wire-line drilling with 3 m long liners from the silted-up crater basin of Rodderberg (East Eifel Volcanic Field) in the vicinity of the city of Bonn, Germany. The composite record ROD11 was analysed for the presence of biogenic silica, with a 20 cm spatial resolution for interglacial periods and a 100 cm spatial resolution for glacial periods. The investigations were conducted using automated leaching in a continuous flow system (Müller and Schneider, 1993). The extraction of biogenic silica was performed with 1 M NaOH solution at a temperature of 85 °C. The presence of dissolved biogenic silica was detected through spectrophotometric analysis. This parameter serves as a proxy for the presence of diatoms in the sediment record and indicates the depositional conditions in a lake and its trophic state. This proxy parameter enhances the interpretation of organic matter, which is not only of lacustrine origin but can also be contributed by in wash of terrestrial plant remains, and the palaeoclimatic interpretation over the past 430 ka. The terrestrial record from Rodderberg is of significant value, as it can be dated using multiple techniques and provides a reconstruction of the environment since the Middle Pleistocene.