Zschopau-Weir (Mühlgraben) Fish Ladder

At the foot of the Bismarckturm Thermalbad Wiesenbad - in the middle of the beautiful Zschopautal - is the weir system including the fish pass (mainly for trout). The mill race from the Zschopau forks here, to operate a hydroelectric power station a little later on the former site of a flax spinning mill and to flow back into the usual course of the river at the end of the spa park.At the same time, a foot and cyclist bridge leads to the weir system over the Zschopau and thus forms an important junction for further route selection along the Zschopautal cycle / hiking trail.

This weir was built to operate water mills and a bleaching plant in the "Mühle" district.
After the "Flachsspinnerei" company was founded, the mill race was extended to operate a hydroelectric plant. For environmental reasons, a fish ladder was installed in autumn 2000.
Fish ladders were used for the first time in North America for salmon. In order to reach their spawning waters, large obstacles had to be overcome. The water is dammed in steps that the fish can easily jump over. In this way, large differences in height can also be bridged.
The trout found here also return to their spawning area again and again.

A great destination for a hike