Drusus spring (Xanten)

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Coordinates: 51 ° 38 ′ 24 "  N , 6 ° 25 ′ 53.8"  E

Natural monument "Drususquelle". Overflow basin on the Flirenberghang in the Hees.

The Drusus spring is a Rheokrene with an artificially created pond on the south-western edge of the Hees forest , south of Xanten . It is named after the Roman general and consul Nero Claudius Drusus . It got its popular name from the Roman camp Vetera I on the Fürstenberg , which was discovered in the 1930s .

Quellenhang on the Flirenberg in the Hees.
Spring pond with tree island on Philosophenweg. It is also called Märchensee. It changes color depending on the season.
Drusus spring

The source is about 450 meters from the Landhaus "Am Röschen" and rises a few meters above the small lake with the tree island on Philosophenweg. It can be reached via a branching trail in the wooded hill. About three meters above the masonry overflow basin on the edge of the path, the water runs sparingly from the Flirenberg. There are remains of an overgrown dry stone wall from which a brick pipe with a diameter of 10 cm protrudes. This probably comes from a spring catchment with which the seepage water was caught. The source area covers a total of 500 m². It is a natural monument and is listed in the Sonsbeck / Xanten landscape plan under ND 4 - natural monument source area ("Drusus spring").

In Roman times, the Drusus spring was one of the many springs between Xanten and Sonsbeck with which they secured their water supply in the Vetera military camp and the later inland port town of Colonia Ulpia Traiana . They conducted the cool water into their cities via long pipeline systems . One can only speculate how rich the source was in ancient times. The amount of water in the Rheokrene depends heavily on the amount of precipitation and the seasons. During the Second World War , the Drusus spring was one of the supply wells for the Xanten air munitions plant (MUNA). A large part of the facility was criss-crossed by underground passages. After the war, the tunnels were filled in and the MUNA renatured. Due to the large area of ​​earth movement, the damming layer of clay shifted and reduced the discharge . Today, the amounts bulk average of 0.3 liters per second.

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