カルシュタットの湖・トップ20

So no one has to slip through the fence to take photos

Something really great was built there. The platform was newly installed and now you have a great view of the quarry and the lake.

Since June 2024, there has been an observation platform on the edge of the Nordbruch crater lake, which offers a great view of one of the two basalt lakes. Information board no. 7 next to the viewing platform tells the interesting story of this quarry: "The basalt deposit around Forst is 820 m long and 260 m wide and is slightly dumbbell-shaped. The Margaretental runs through the middle of the deposit, which is why the basalt had to be mined in TWO separate quarries. The north quarry was the first to be opened up in 1841, but production there was only for the quarry's own needs. Five years later, in 1846, mining also began in the south quarry. In 1897, mining in the north quarry was stopped until a lease agreement with the municipality of Forst made further mining possible in 1911. A 2800 m long cable car was built to transport the extracted rock, which ended directly at the railway line near Deidesheim and was only replaced by a transport road in 1969. Mining in the south quarry was stopped in 1964. In December 1990, operations in Nordbruch finally ceased. Following the closure, both sites were recultivated and officially returned to nature in 2011."

Platform with a great view of the basalt lake deep in the crater. Now nobody has to climb over the fence anymore 😉

Great sight if you're tall enough to look over the edge. Not visible to children. Luckily it was completely cordoned off due to the brittle edges. Impressive crater!

From the path, the ballast quarry offers an impressive view of the lake that has formed there. It is located on the Pechsteinkopf, which takes its name from the basalt found there. The ballast was mined in open-cast mining until the 1980s. In addition to a smaller crater in the southwest, a larger one was created in the northeast, which is 100 m deep and 200 m in diameter. Initially, the rock was transported by a circular cable car to a loading station with a grinding mill on the Neustadt-Bad Dürkheim railway line. The cable car was more than 2 km long and ran between Forst an der Weinstraße and Deidesheim across the German Wine Route. After basalt mining was stopped, the grinding mill and cable car were dismantled and the edges of the craters were cordoned off to prevent access. Because the water escaping in the mining area is no longer pumped out as it was during mining times, two ponds formed on the bottom of the mining craters, which are now natural biotopes.

This is the smaller, more accessible lake that emerged after the basalt quarries near Forst were abandoned in the 1980s. Today it's a nature reserve, so you'd better avoid swimming here. It's definitely worth seeing.

This quarry lake is really spectacular. Unfortunately there is no access and no really good view, but this "canyon" is very fascinating. The Margarethental as such is less beautiful. But the hiking trails that branch off before or after are recommended.