Rauscherpark

Rauscher Park in Plaidt - II

The Rauscherpark is a park in which the Nette , a tributary of the Rhine , saws its way through the lava flow of the Wannen volcano group . The river washed away mighty basalt blocks over which the water pours in small cascades. The Rauscherpark is located directly behind the Vulkanpark information center Plaidt / Saffig in the Eastern Eifel in the Mayen-Koblenz district .

Emergence

From the volcanic complex Wannengruppe about 200,000 years ago glowing lava flowed out in several partial streams. A lava flow up to 15 meters thick filled the Nettetal; it flowed following the Nettetal about 5 kilometers north to the area of ​​today's Miesenheim . In the following millennia, the Nette dug a new bed on the western edge of the cooled lava flow. Since the path at Plaidt was blocked by a ridge, it was diverted to the east and forced to saw its way through the lava flow. At this point of the net breakthrough is the Rauscherpark today.

use

Quarrying

The basalt lava in the area of ​​the Rauscher Park was mined from Roman times through the Middle Ages to modern times. The traces of degradation can still be found on both banks today. The rock deposit was easily accessible through the water and facilitated removal. However, the mining activity took place only to a small extent and cannot be compared with the quarry activity around the Bellerberg volcano complex, for example .

Hydropower

Hydropower was used at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1910, Pellenz's first hydropower plant was built in the Rauscherpark .

tourism

Today the Rauscherpark is a local recreation area and a station in the volcano park . Information boards along narrow footpaths inform visitors about the development and use of the Rauscherpark.

literature

• Angelika Hunold : The legacy of the volcano. A journey into the history of the earth and technology between the Eifel and the Rhine. Schnell + Steiner and publishing house of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum , Regensburg / Mainz 2011, ISBN 978-3-7954-2439-8

Web links

Commons : Rauscherpark  - Collection of Images

• Vulkanpark (official website), on vulkanpark.com

Coordinates: 50 ° 23 '18.2 "  N , 7 ° 24' 1.4"  E