The "Land of 1000 Ponds" in the Thuringian Vogtland is a charming lake landscape where you can enjoy wonderful walks and hikes. We reveal what there is to discover around the Plothener ponds in this blog post.
The history of the Plothener ponds
The Plothen ponds are located near the villages of Plothen, Dreba and Knau not far from Ziegenrück on a plateau in the Thuringian Slate Mountains and cover an area of approx. 75 km². The nickname "Land of 1000 Ponds" is no coincidence, as there used to be around 1,600 ponds in this area. Today there are still around 600.
The pond area was created by monks in the 11th/12th century for the purpose of fish farming. Due to the fasting days, there was a high demand for fish, as this was a clever way of circumventing the ban on meat.
The ponds are so-called sky ponds, i.e. they are fed by rainwater. They were laid out in a cascade and were partly connected by canals. For the time, the system was a masterpiece.
The stilt house by the house pond
Some of the ponds were merged over time to create larger ponds, such as the Hausteich, which at 32 hectares is the largest pond in the area. The secret landmark of the Plothener ponds, the pile house, is also located here.
Surrounded by water, it has stood on larch poles at the edge of the house pond for centuries. However, nothing is known about its exact origins. Due to the age of the wood, it can only be assumed that it was built in the 17th century at a time when the site belonged to the Reuss dynasty. They used it as a hunting lodge for the duck hunts that took place here. It was also used for representational purposes.
The ownership changed in 1878. The building now belonged to the Knau manor. The owners in turn leased it out as a restaurant. This happened at a time when the pond area was beginning to attract a lot of tourists. Tourism peaked in the 1920s and 30s, when several magazines reported on the beauty of the pond landscape.
Since the mid-1950s, the ponds have been used for inland fishing and the pile house has served as an equipment room and feed store.
The rescue of the Pfalhaus began in 1995 with the founding of the Plothen local history association. Under its leadership, the Pfahlhaus was completely renovated. The house was given a completely new substructure. Since then, it has stood on 54 piles instead of the previous 90. At the end of the renovation, a museum for fishing and pond management was opened in the little house in 2000. There is also a small exhibition on the history of the house.
The museum is open to visitors from May to October on Sundays and public holidays in the afternoon. Individual opening hours can be arranged via the Plothen tourist information office.
Hiking at the Plothener ponds
Visitors have numerous opportunities to explore the area. You can go hiking, cycling, horse riding, book a horse-drawn carriage ride and actively participate in fishing in the fall. But of course you can also just watch the ponds being fished and enjoy the fish afterwards. Carp, zander, eel and tench are still bred in the ponds today.
You can hike around the pond area on a 7-kilometer nature trail. There are numerous illustrative and themed boards along the way. It is particularly interesting at dusk in spring and fall, when many thousands of birds can be seen here. Every evening, thousands of starlings come to spend the night in the reeds. This special natural spectacle is also known as the starling miracle.
But even without the starlings, you can observe numerous plants and animals in the pond area at any time. You can find out more about this unique area at the information point for nature conservation and the environment right by the parking lot at the house pond.
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Overnight stay
If you want to stay overnight in the pond area, you can either stay in the inns in the surrounding villages or in the Plothen youth hostel at the Hausteich pond. There is also a campsite between Hausteich and Fürstenteich.
Near the Plothener ponds
The Knau manor is located near the Plothen ponds. From here, a circular trail leads across the estate and the castle park via the Töpfersberg and up to the watermill in Knau.
The small town of Ziegenrück is also very close by and is definitely worth a visit.
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The Plothener ponds in the Thuringian Vogtland form a fascinating lake landscape that is ideal for walking and hiking. Originally there were around 1,600 ponds here, of which around 600 still exist today. These ponds were created by monks in the 11th and 12th centuries for fish farming to meet the demand during fasting days. The pond area covers around 75 km² and is mainly fed by rainwater. The area was created in a cascade shape and was considered a masterpiece of engineering at the time.
At 32 hectares, the Hausteich is the largest pond in the Plothener Teiche area and is home to the famous Pfahlhaus. This building on larch piles served as a hunting lodge in past centuries and later as a restaurant. After decades of use, the pile house was saved by the Plothen local history association and converted into a museum for fishing and pond management.
Visitors to the Plothener ponds have numerous opportunities to explore the area, including hiking, cycling, horse riding and horse-drawn carriage rides. In the fall, you can even actively participate in fishing and enjoy the farmed fish, such as carp, zander, eel and tench. A nature trail leads along a 7 km circular route through the pond area, past illustrative and themed panels. The spectacle of the thousands of birds that can be seen here at dusk is particularly impressive.
For overnight accommodation, there are inns in the surrounding villages, the Plothen youth hostel at the Hausteich pond and a campsite between the Hausteich and Fürstenteich ponds. The Knau manor and the small town of Ziegenrück are also worth a visit and are located close to the Plothen ponds.
