The Silberteich is a man-made

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 ...

, of a type called a ''

Kunstteich A ''Kunstteich'' (plural: ''Kunstteiche'') is an historic German term for a man-made lake or pond associated with the mining industry and its technology. These ponds were created by the construction of barriers, typically dams and embankments, an ...

'', and lies on the upper reaches of the Brunnenbach stream between

Braunlage Braunlage () is a town and health resort in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony in Germany. Situated within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken massif, Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly skiing. Nearby ski resorts inclu ...

and Sankt Andreasberg in the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

of Germany. It was built as part of the historic

Upper Harz Water Regale The Upper Harz Water Regale (german: Oberharzer Wasserregal, ) is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the ...

Description

The pond is about 300 metres long with an earth dam about 8 m high. Material for the construction of the dam came from a quarry on the west bank immediately next to the embankment. Today the reservoir is located in the middle of the

Harz National Park Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and ...

and is managed by the park authorities. A path runs along the eastern shore, in places along the water's edge. Otherwise paths have been kept some distance away in order to create a quiet zone for flora and fauna.

History

The reservoir was laid out in 1755, but even during its construction the height of the embankments was raised twice.Martin Schmidt: ''Besondere Schadensfälle an den Oberharzer Teichdämmen.'' In: ''Leichtweiss-Institut für Wasserbau der Technischen Universität Braunschweig. Mitteilungen.'' Issue 103, 1989, , pp. 383–421. It was designed was based on that of the 'new type' (''neuer Bauart'') of Upper Harz Pond with a watertight seal of grass sods. The surrounding embankments were initially too steep and had to be remodelled several times; apparently when the embankments were raised in height, their feet were not increased accordingly. The Silberteich was probably built to supply the ore mines to the southwest with

water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...

. This was the ''Hoffnungsbergbau'' ("Mine of Hope") which was heavily financed by the mining authorities but which had to be finally closes around 1780 due to a lack of profitability. The Silberteich then found a new use supplying power to the Braunlage Blue Glass Factory (''Braunlager Blaufarbenwerk''), which was built on the site of the present-day ''Waldmühle''. Originally the reservoir was called the ''Andreasberger Teich'' or ''Brunnenbacher Teich'', where ''Teich'' means 'pond'. Its present name (which means 'Silver Pond') was chosen quite recently to make it more attractive as a tourist destination. When walking along the footpath that grazes the eastern shore, the experienced eye will notice that this path is an old 'leat' (''Hanggraben'') that follows the contours of the hill. This was probably dug to be able to divert water past the reservoir during times of flooding.

Surrounding area

The Sankt Andreasberg trail (''Sankt Andreasberger Fußstieg''), which used to be the shortest route between Braunlage and Sankt Andreasberg, runs along the dam crest. Meanwhile, the direct path from the forest pub of ''Rinderstall'' on the Oder up to the Silberteich has been largely destroyed by the National Park authorities, so that the journey today requires a detour of more than double the length.

1760 dam burst

From 1–5 February 1760 there was heavy rainfall in the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

, apparently accompanied by a rapid thaw. During the night of 4/5 February water poured over the recently built dam. The dam broke along a length of 30 metres and floodwaters poured into the Brunnenbach valley. The waters built up in front of the Brunnenbach Mill, forming a barrier of trees and branches they had brought down with them. The swollen waters looked for a new way out and swept the mill away.Wilfried Ließmann: ''Der Silberteich bei Braunlage und der Bergbau im Odertaler Revier.'' In: ''Allgemeiner Harz-Berg-Kalender für das Jahr 2001.'' , pp. 126–135.. The reason for this accident, which took places just five years after the reservoir was completed, was that the

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure th ...

was too small and had become choked with ice floes. Following its rebuilding in 1763, the Silberteich was also known until about 1900 as the ''Neue Teich'' ('New Pond').

Gallery

File:SilberteichAndreasbergerSteg.jpg, The ''Andreasberger Stieg'' trail on the dam crest of the Silberteich dam File:SilberteichAusflussSee.jpg, Outflow of the Silberteich into the Brunnenbach from the lake... File:SilberteichAusflussBach.jpg, … and the stream side

References

External links

{{Commonscat Upper Harz Water Regale Braunlage Dams in Lower Saxony RSilberteich Buildings and structures in Goslar (district) 18th-century architecture in Germany