ヴルツバッハの湖・トップ20

This is the former Lehesten roofing slate opencast mine. Its dimensions alone are impressive; along with the nearby Oertelsbruch, it was one of the largest slate quarries on the continent (approximately 800 m long, 300 m wide, and up to 80 m deep). Source: Wikipedia

A beautiful region 🤩 If you like, you can also take a detour to the Alvater Tower.

In the "Land of Blue Gold," as the slate is called here because of its distinctive color, the tradition of Thuringian-Franconian slate mining can still be experienced today. This extraordinary industrial complex, located at what was once one of Europe's largest open-cast slate mines, provides a hands-on experience of the history and processing of slate. The entire Staatsbruch Slate Park area is a nature reserve. 170 Red List species have now been confirmed to have settled in this partially inaccessible area.

The Göpel shaft system, unique in Europe, is the heart of the “Historic Lehesten Slate Mining” monument ensemble and the trademark of the slate park. The Göpel shaft system was built around 1850, five years after the open-cast mine opened. On the north-west edge of the now closed and flooded roofing slate open-cast mine, the Göpel shaft was used to lift mined slate rock and thus stabilize the production flow. The rock was transported to the adjacent double-slitting hut and processed.

Beautiful views around the dam.

Be sure to visit and take enough time with you.

The drinking water dam Mauthaus - called "Ködeltalsperre" - is one of the largest of its kind in Bavaria. Around the "Frankenwaldfjord" leads an approx. 11.5 km long paved path, which is ideal for hiking, cycling or inline skating. The drinking water dam Mauthaus is located in the valley of the Nurner Ködel, a tributary to the Rodach, about 20 kilometers northeast of Kronach. It was built from 1968 to 1972 to supply drinking water. As a secondary purpose, it serves to protect against flooding, raise low water levels and generate electricity from hydropower. It was put into operation in 1975 and was thus the first Bavarian drinking water dam. The body of water may not be used for water sports, which contributes significantly to the quality of drinking water. A bicycle rental is located in the Oberes Rodachtal tourist office in Steinwiesen, Kronacher Straße 75.

The blue water is simply magnificent. You have to go there at least once. Plan on ten kilometers for a walk around the dam! There are only a few short, gentle climbs along the route. The rest of the loop is fairly flat. 🤗