The Isenachweiher in the
Palatinate Forest (
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
) is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
on the River
Isenach
The Isenach is a left tributary of the Rhine in the northeastern Palatine region of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is nearly long.
Course
The Isenach rises in the northern Palatinate Forest, southwest of Carlsberg Hertlingshausen. Its source in ...
, a left tributary of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
. Such reservoirs are called ''
woog
A ''woog'' (from ''wâc'', a Middle High German hydronym) is the local name for a body of still water in parts of southwest Germany. A ''woog'' may be of natural origin or manmade.
Distribution of the name
The name is used for waterbodies in ...
s'' in this region.
Geography
Location
The Isenachweiher lies in the northeastern Palatinate Forest, 200 metres north of the
B 37 federal highway, which runs from the county town of
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Bad Dürkheim lies at the edge of Palatinate Forest on the German Wine ...
to
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
. It is part of the forest estated of Bad Dürkheim, whose built up area is about 10 kilometres away.
Extent
The whole Isenachweiher has an area of 17,850 m², roughly twice the size of a football field. What is perceived by visitors as the actual lake surface, lies above the
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
to the north and is between about 50 and a good 100 metres wide. In this area the pond is a maximum of 8 metres deep. The rest of the lake area is made up of a widening of the small river to about 20 20 metres, which runs for several hundred metres before the Isenachweiher.
Surrounding area
![Isenachweiher mit Blockhaus zur Isenach 007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Isenachweiher_mit_Blockhaus_zur_Isenach_007.jpg)
On the southern shore of the pond there was once a reservoir keeper’s house on the dam. It was used in the early 20th century as a
forester’s lodge, but from the 1930s as a restaurant for day trippers. In November 1983 the house burnt down to its foundation walls. In 1990 work began in 2 stages on a large, wooden
log cabin
A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers.
Eur ...
intended as an
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
with a
beer garden
A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees.
Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...
, which was called the ''Forsthaus zur Isenach'' (“Isenach Forester’s Lodge”). Rowing boats for use on the lake were available for hire here. An unmetalled car park is located on the dam immediately in front of the house, and there is another on the B 37 at the junction with the access road.
References
External links
{{commons category, Isenachweiher
Forsthaus zur Isenach: ''The Isenach-Weiher''
Reservoirs in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rivers and lakes of the Palatinate Forest
RIsenachweiher
Ponds of Rhineland-Palatinate