In August 2022, we visited Thuringia on our way home to Switzerland, from Berlin. I have already talked about our stay at Saalburg visiting the Burgkhammer and the Bleiloch dam. On our second day in Thuringia, we drive along the Saale to Saalfeld, stopping at Ziegenrück and the Hohenwarte dam. 

 

Looking back: The Burgkhammer and the Bleiloch dams

This is the spectacular photo view of the turn of Burgk dammed by the Burgkhammer dam (below the castle on right hand side, hidden on this photo). We walked here yesterday. 

 

Higher up, the Bleiloch dam is 65m high and 205m long. This masterpiece of German engineers was built between 1926 and 1932.

Above, the Bleiloch lake is the largest of the lakes of the Saale cascades. Photo taken from the terrace of the Hotel Kranich.

 

Overview of the Saale dams, also called cascades

The Saale cascades consist out of 5 dams, built in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

• Bleiloch
• Burgkhammer
• Walsburg
• Hohenwarte
• Eichicht

On 80km, the Saale dams overcome the height difference of 170m. The reasons for building the cascades were protection against flooding and production of energy.

On their website, the power company Vattenfall lays out the system of dams and lakes of the upper Saale.

With red circles, I have pointed out the places, where we have been: Yesterday at the Bleiloch and Burghammer dam, today at the city Ziegenrück as well as at the Hohenwarte and Eichicht dams.

 

Ziegenrück

At Ziegenrück, we have a coffee break. The city is the fifth smallest city of Germany, crouched into the narrow valley of the Saale, where the Dreba joins the Saale. 

We admire the half-timbered city hall.  

Have you noticed the goat on the wall? Well, in German “Ziege” means “goat”… 

Also, the coat of arms of Ziegenrück contains a goat with a castle on its back. Nevertheless, the name “Ziegenrück” is not related to “Ziege” (goat), but to the Sorbian word “Czegenruck”, which means “turn of the river”; the name alludes to the fact that Ziegenrück is located on one of the Saale turns.

 

Hohenwarte

The Hohenwarte is the second large dam of the Saale cascades (after the Bleiloch dam). 

It is a touristy attraction, …

… where boat rides are offered. 

From far, we see the pipes that connect to the equalizing reservoir (Oberbecken Hohenwarte II). 

 

The last dam: Eichicht

We stand on the so-called Blue Bridge (Blaue Brücke) and look upstream towards the last dam called Eichicht. 

From here on, the Saale is just a river … 

… with some lovely ducks. 

 

Arriving at Eyba at the castle hotel 

We have reserved a room in the Renaissance castle Eyba, located on the hills south of Saalfeld called Saalfelder Höhe. 

A young couple welcomes us. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, they tell us. We move into our small, but quiet room looking into the lush park and look for restaurants in the area.

The room phone rings. ” We have a solution, we prepare a plate with cheese and some cuts, would that suit you?” the couple asks.

Soon we sit in the castle courtyard and have a lovely light dinner, together with other hotel guests that prefer to stay at this quiet place. 

I took the photo of the castle courtyard during a morning walk, when everything had been cleared away.

Eyba is a good starting point for walks on the Saalfelder Höhe, as this signpost indicates. Lositz, Arnsgereuth and Saalfeld are within walking distance. There is a “Ferienwohnung Heidi” at Rudolstadt and there are two physical therapists with the name “Heidi” at Garnsdorf nearby. “Heidi” could point to one of them. It is surely not Heidi in Switzerland. The other destinations (Berlin, Moskau, Rom) seem to be pretty far away… 

We have selected the castle of Eyba near Saalfeld, because we wanted to continue exploring Thuringia, first the slate mountains with the Lehesten slate quarry and then the culturally interesting cities such as Erfurt and Weimar. 

 

 

Sources:

• Home site of Thüringen https://www.thueringen.info/das-thueringer-meer.html
• Home site Thüringer Meer https://www.thueringer-meer.de/
• Heidi Schmitt, “Thüringen Reiseführer”, Michael Müller Verlag 2020
• Dina Stahn, “Bädeker Reiseführer Thüringen”
• Wikipedia entries for Bleilochtalsperre https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleilochtalsperre and Saalekaskade https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saalekaskade 
• Home site Vattenfall https://group.vattenfall.com/de/energie/wasserkraft/saalekaskade
• Hans Müller, “Thüringen”, Dumont Kunstführer 1998