Mühlberger Spring
| Mühlberger Spring | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 An (artificial) stork's nest with residents guards the spring |
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| location | ||||
| Country or region | District of Gotha ( Thuringia ) | |||
| Coordinates | 50 ° 51 ′ 57 " N , 10 ° 49 ′ 14" E | |||
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| geology | ||||
| Mountains | Thuringian Basin | |||
| Source type | Karst spring | |||
| Exit type | Sinkhole | |||
| Hydrology | ||||
| River system | Elbe | |||
| Receiving waters | Weidbach → Apfelstädt → Gera → Unstrut → Saale → Elbe → North Sea | |||
| Bulk | 33.7 m | |||
| depth | 6.5 m | |||
Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 57 ″ N , 10 ° 49 ′ 14 ″ E
The spring in Mühlberg is a karst spring in Thuringia .
Geographical location
The spring is located on the southwest edge of Mühlberg in the Gotha district at an altitude of 299 m above sea level. NN . The above-ground catchment area of the source is 2.3 km². The underground approx. 16 km².
Data
On average, 33.7 liters per second of crystal clear water pours out of the 6.5 m deep spring grotto at a constant temperature of 8 degrees Celsius. One liter of water contains approx. 1.4 g of anhydrite (calcium sulfate). The water dissolves around four tons of this mineral from the underground every day.
geology
Geologically , the source is located on the northeast flank of the Gossel plateau .
According to geological studies, the age of the spring is estimated to be around 7000 years. The source outlet represents a fossil sinkhole . It measures around four meters on the surface and around three meters at the bottom. This was created by leaching the gypsum deposits in the deeper subsoil and subsequent collapse of the higher claystone layers .
The outflowing water flows into the Weidbach . This flows through the Thuringian Basin below the Mühlburg and the Veste Wachsenburg , crosses under the federal motorway 4 / Europastraße 40 and flows into the Apfelstädt in Neudietendorf .
There is no evidence that the water from receiving waters (such as the Apfelstädt or the Ohra ) is replenished. Soiling is also not known. The blue color of the water is due to the high sulphate content and the purity, as well as the fact that the long-wave (red, yellow) color components are filtered out of (white) sunlight because they penetrate the water surface and reflect the short-wave (blue) color components and thus be seen.
Economical meaning
The water output shows great seasonal fluctuations (usually more in summer than in winter), which forced the mill operators of the Middle Ages to build catch basins in the stream in front of their mill in order to obtain an even amount of water from it. Since records began, the spring has dried out about 30 times. The reasons for this are long dry seasons in autumn and severe cold in winter as well as karst quarries that change the watercourses and relocate the drains.
The Franks are said to have used the spring as early as 531 during the decline of the Thuringian Kingdom. It cannot be ruled out that this abundance of water was one of the main reasons for the establishment of the settlement that is now the Mühlberg community. The spring is said to have had cultic significance during the Germanic-pagan times.
Drying takes between 14 days and 44 months.
As early as 1655, the spring fed seven mills with their water power. If it dried up, it would have serious consequences for the population at the foot of the Mühlburg.
The first chronicler to document the lack of water was Wendelinus Hellbach . He reported a 142-day dry period from September 30, 1536 to February 18, 1537. Local legends and legends also tell about the dry periods. The source should always have a “break” in front of it when a special event is to be expected.
The municipality used the last major dry period from August 8, 1989 to April 26, 1993 to renovate the spring grotto with federal, state and own funds and to transform the area around the spring into an attractive point in the municipality.
The Mühlberger Spring in village stories
In the middle of the 19th century, for example, the residents told each other that a mermaid lived in the spring, who sometimes braided her hair at the edge of the spring. The Mühlbergers celebrate a festival every summer, during which the mermaid is chosen.
Overview of the absence of the Mühlberger Springs
| year | event | Evidence (structure: author year: page ) |
|---|---|---|
| 09/30/1536– 02/18/1537 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 142 days | MELISSANTES 1721: 112, ADLOFF 1824: 74, JUNG 1901: 10, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| October 19 - December 16, 1635 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 58 days | MELISSANTES 1721: 112, ADLOFF 1824: 74, JUNG 1901: 10, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| 02/14 - 03/10/1672 | Mühlberger Spring has no drainage for 25 days because of the cold | MELISSANTES 1721: 112, ADLOFF 1824: 74, JUNG 1901: 10 |
| July 12th - July 26th, 1672 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 14 days due to drought | MELISSANTES 1721: 112, ADLOFF 1824: 75, JUNG 1901: 10, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| December 1685 | Mühlberger Spring decreases and increases again in the course of December | MELISSANTES 1721: 113, ADLOFF 1824: 75, JUNG 1901: 11 |
| December 1695 | Mühlberger Spring decreases and increases again in the course of December | MELISSANTES 1721: 113, ADLOFF 1824: 75, JUNG 1901: 11 |
| December 1706 | Mühlberger Spring decreases and increases again in the course of December | MELISSANTES 1721: 113, ADLOFF 1824: 75 |
| January – February 1709 | Mühlberger Spring has no drainage because of the cold | MELISSANTES 1721: 114, ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 11 |
| 11/22/1724– 11/22/1726 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 2 years, suddenly disappearing | ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| 09/24/1766– 02/13/1767 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 142 days | ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| July 20 - August 13, 1800 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 24 days | ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| 09.10. – 30.10.1800 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 21 days | ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 12 |
| December 04, 1822– July 24, 1824 | Mühlberger Spring is almost dry for 600 days, the water level is low and fluctuates | ADLOFF 1824: 76, JUNG 1901: 12 |
| Fall 1872 – Summer 1873 | Mühlberger Spring is almost dry | JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| Spring 1874 – April 1875 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 1 year due to severe drought | JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| January – October 1893 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 9 months due to severe drought | JUNG 1901: 12, MERZ 1989: 39 |
| October 1962 – April 1965 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 30 months | MERZ 1989: 39 |
| November 1971 – August 1972 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 10 months | MERZ 1989: 39 |
| January – February 1973 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 2 months | MERZ 1989: 39 |
| October 1973 – March 1974 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 4 months | MERZ 1989: 39 |
| October 1974 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 1 month | MERZ 1989: 39 |
| September 1976-April 1977 | Mühlberger Spring has dried out for 8 months | MERZ 1989: 39 |
See also
literature
- Melissantes: The Renewed Antiquity, or Curieuse Description of some previously famous, partly devastated and destroyed, but partly rebuilt mountain castles in Germany, from credible historicis and geography with many memorable antiquities, and in addition to two registers somewhat increased . Joh. Jacob Spiessens, Franckfurth, Leipzig 1721.
- JF Adloff: Historical description of the three Thuringian mountain castles Gleichen, Mühlberg and Wachsenburg, together with their peculiarities. With a lithograph of these castles . Engelhard-Reyher, Gotha 1824.
- H. Jung: The spring to Mühlberg i. Thür. Princely court printing by Emil Frotscher, Arnstadt 1901.
- G. Merz: The Mühlberger Spring. Hydrogeology / hydrodynamics. A geological-technical documentation on the Mühlberger Spring . In: Thuringian Geological Association (Hrsg.): Short version of the lectures and excursion guide. Geology and landscape in the area around Arnstadt . 14th Annual General Meeting from June 18 to 20, 2004. Self-published, Jena 2004, 114–116.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Millwitz, Clemens (1830): The Thuringian Forest with its immediate surroundings; depicted according to its present overall circumstances. A guide for locals and foreigners. With 14 coppers. Erfurt: Friedrich Wilhelm Andreä, p. 192.
- ↑ Ludwig Bechstein (Ed.) (1837): The legends from Thuringia's prehistory, of the three equals, the Schneekopf and the Thuringian Henneberg. Along with a treatise on the ethical value of German folk tales. (= The saga treasure trove and the saga circles of the Thuringian region, third part) Meiningen, Hildburghausen: Kesselringsche Hofbuchhandlung, p. 123.
- Information leaflet of Geopark Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen
- Information boards at the source
