Germany > Hesse > Eder Lake (Edersee) and Waldeck castle
Eder Lake (Edersee) and Waldeck castle
N 51°11.729', E 9°2.872'
2019-02-16
Our rating: 7.80
Overall rating: - Rate this place - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The Eder lake (or reservoir) is a rather large resort and tourist zone in the very center of Germany. There are a lot of interesting things here and it’s unrealistic to see everything in one visit. We will describe the places that we saw during our first visit. At the entrance to the lake it makes sense to stop near the tourist information center (N 51 10.116 E 9 04.574 ). There is a cafe, a small lake and an unusual house.
Upside-Down House (Das Tolle Haus am Edersee) ©Yuriy Buriak
Upside-Down House (Das Tolle Haus am Edersee) ©Yuriy Buriak
A little further along the road there is a tourist zone in the style of the Wild West (N 51 10.103 E 9 03.210 ) and an excellent view of the village of Hemfurth.
Hemfurth village ©Yuriy Buriak
Then we parked near the dam (N 51 11.019 E 9 03.724 ) and climbed to the Uhrenkopfkanzel viewpoint. Find the path on this map https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/51.18438/9.06266 , it is called there Auf den Klippen.
Dam on Lake Eder ©Yuriy Buriak
We went downstairs and crossed the dam to the village of Edersee, where we had lunch. The dam was built in 1908-1914. During the Second World War, it was bombed and partially destroyed. The hole created a wave, 6-8 meters high, which swept along the river bed for 30 kilometers. Reconstruction of this attack can be seen in the movie The Dam Busters (1955) (video ). In connection with the flood, foreign mass media reported the death of 749 prisoners of one of the concentration camps, but Germany did not confirm this information.
Dam on Lake Eder (1943) ©wikipedia.org
The dam was restored quickly, in a few months.
Dam on Lake Eder ©Yuriy Buriak
Dam on Lake Eder ©Yuriy Buriak
Next we went up to the Waldeck Castle. Now it is a 4-star hotel and museum, you can freely enter the territory. The observation deck offers a great view of the lake, though not in the afternoon when the sun shines directly in the eye.
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
The first mention of the castle dates back to 1120, and the first owner was Volkwin II von Schwalenberg. He received the title Count Waldeck and for 500 years his heirs owned the castle until they moved to Bad Arolsen.
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
The castle was built on top of a cliff, it is clearly visible in front of the gate.
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
After the original owners moved, inside were military huts, a national archive, and even a women's prison.
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
The hotel opened in 1906 and until 2009 was state owned.
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Waldeck castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Getting there: small, free parking near the dam N 51 11.019 E 9 03.724 , paid parking near the castle N 51 12.232 E 9 03.469 . Buses are only seasonal, here (https://www.nvv.de/freizeit-events/ausflugsziele/edersee-saisonverkehr/ ) you can see the PDF flyer with the names of the stops and a route planner.
Tags, Germany: lake Tags, all countries: lake
- Rate this place -
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help
Our rating - 7.80
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help
Visitor's rating - 0.00
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help