The Old Valley of the Eder River
Most times, the mysterious side of the Edersee appears in the fall, when the water level drops and you get to marvel at the river bed of the Eder River. It is only at that time, that cemetery graves, remnants of walls and bridges become visible, reminding us of a time when about 900 people called the old valley of the Eder their home.
The reason for the flooding was not a natural catastrophe, but the construction of a barrier wall.
The Eder Dam was built from 1908 to 1914 to serve as a water reservoir for regulating the level of the Weser River. Additional goals were the flood protection in the lower Eder, lower Fulda and Weser river valleys as well as energy production through hydroelectric power. At that time, nobody thought of any utilization as a tourist destination.
The inhabitants of the three villages Asel, Bringhausen and Berich had to give way to the massive amounts of water and forever leave their homes behind.
What remains, are the sunken remnants and the memory.
The best preserved structure is the four-arch bridge that used to span the Eder at the southern end of Asel. It was built between 1887 and 1890 and is 60 meters long. The only remnants of Old Bringhausen and Old Berich are their cemeteries. They were covered with a concrete surface prior to flooding and are accessible today – if the water level permits.
Whenever that is the case, official guided tours to the sunken villages are conducted.
For information about and the booking of tours, please contact:
Edersee Marketing GmbH
Phone +49 5623 99980
E-Mail: info(at)edersee.com
Web: www.edersee.com
