Top 20 Lakes around Dalheim

In this nature reserve along the old Rhine channel, one can observe the zonal structure of a floodplain forest with its reed zone, softwood floodplain, and hardwood floodplain, and their characteristic tree species. It's remarkable to consider the rich biodiversity this complex ecosystem once supported and what was destroyed by the straightening of the Rhine. Only one percent of the original floodplain forests remain. No one can replace their ecosystem services; we must restore them wherever possible.

The lake is owned by the local fishing club. Tables and benches are spread around the shore. A beautiful place that exudes a very pleasant calm

Again and again very idyllic the strudel holes

There are several of these oxbow lakes on the Kühkopf peninsula. Some of them are so-called oxbow lakes (whirlpools) that formed after dam breaches.

The FFH - area "Bruderlöcher" belongs to the natural area Northern Upper Rhine Lowland and thus to the natural spatial upper unit Upper Rhine Lowland. It is located in the Holocene Rheinaue, on the south-western edge of the Groß-Gerau district, about 1 km south-west of Erfelden and about 0.5 km north of the Kühkopf - Altrhein. The area includes three smaller ones (“Pfaffenlöcher”), a middle one (“Kleines Bruderloch”) and a large, tripartite whirlpool hole (“Großes Bruderloch”). In terms of their morphology, they can be traced back to a devastating dam breach, which must have been at least 500 years ago, since the water bodies are already shown on maps from the 15th century (LIST 1920 quoted in BÖGER ET AL. 1994). Even today, they lie directly on land on the main Rhine dam, which prevents direct flooding in the event of a high tide. Due to the proximity of the Rhine and the sandy subsoil, the groundwater level varies greatly with the water level of the Rhine. According to BOGER ET AL. (1994) water level fluctuations of up to 2.50m can therefore be expected in the lakes. In addition, join Flooding of the Rhine, characteristic until early summer, drains the groundwater as smoke and floods the areas near the dams, especially around the lakes. Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi83rLi5ar4AhUGSfEDHey-DEMQFnoECAYQAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnatureg.hessen.de%2Fresources%2Frecherche%2FSchutzgebieten% 2FRPDA%2FGDE%2F6116_302%2FTexte%2FGutachten.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3OhfnkMUcAkW7quQu2KQ8X

At the turn of the year 1882/83, the "New Year's Hole", which is also used today as a bathing area, was created by a dam breach that led to the flooding of the hinterland. Officially, however, the New Year's Hole is a private fishing lake. Today's appearance hardly gives an idea of the dramatic events that led to its creation. The Rhine, which was already unusually high due to persistent precipitation in the late summer and autumn of 1882, reached 822 cm at the Worms gauge on December 29, its highest level since the introduction of regular measurements at the end of the 18th century to this day. For comparison: the mean water level at the Worms gauge is 221 cm, the highest flood in recent decades At 729 cm, spring 1988 was still almost a meter below the 1882 mark. At the turn of the year 1882/83, the water was already on the crest of the then lower and not as wide dam as it is today, where it was initially held by additional earth could become. But in the morning hours of January 1, 1883, nothing helped, the main dam broke at the point in front of you over a length of 115 m. The Rhine water flowing through the opening flushed a 19-22 m deep and at that time up to 190 m wide whirlpool hole , a so-called scour. The amounts of earth, sand and gravel pressed out of this scour were spread over the adjacent areas, covering 100 acres of land (approx. 25 hectares) with up to half a meter thick alluvial material. If you walk through the reed landscape with your eyes wide open, you will come across such whirlpool holes again and again, e.g. 400 m further east the Bruderlöcher (which you will get to know further along the path) or 1.1 km further north the Geilsbruderloch. The youngest scours can be found on the Kühkopf, where in the spring of 1983 the summer dykes were breached in three places by floods.

At the turn of the year 1882/83, the "New Year's Hole", which is also used today as a bathing area, was created by a dam bursting, which led to the flooding of the hinterland. Officially, however, the New Year's Hole is a private fishing lake. Today's appearance hardly gives an idea of the dramatic events that led to its creation. The Rhine, which was already unusually high due to persistent precipitation in the late summer and autumn of 1882, reached 822 cm at the Worms gauge on December 29, its highest level since the introduction of regular measurements at the end of the 18th century to this day. For comparison: the mean water level at the Worms gauge is 221 cm, the highest flood in recent decades At 729 cm, spring 1988 was still almost a meter below the 1882 mark. At the turn of the year 1882/83, the water was already on the crest of the then lower and not as wide dam as it is today, where it was initially held by additional earth could become. But in the morning hours of January 1, 1883, nothing helped, the main dam broke at the point in front of you over a length of 115 m. The Rhine water flowing through the opening flushed a 19-22 m deep and at that time up to 190 m wide whirlpool hole , a so-called scour. The amounts of earth, sand and gravel pressed out of this scour were spread over the adjacent areas, covering 100 acres of land (approx. 25 hectares) with up to half a meter thick alluvial material. If you walk through the Ried landscape with your eyes wide open, you will come across such whirlpool holes again and again, e.g. 400 m further east the Bruderlöcher (which you will get to know further along the path) or 1.1 km further north the Geilsbruderloch. The youngest scours can be found on the Kühkopf, where in the spring of 1983 the summer dykes were breached in three places by floods.

Good observation opportunities in the breeding and migration season at water levels above mean water (230cm Worms level). The aquarium is directly connected to the outflow of the Altrhein and drains itself fairly quickly when the water levels drop. And since fish often remain behind when the water level drops, a connection to the Rhine is worthwhile, they then get stuck, like in an aquarium. The observation post is also well suited for observing waterfowl on the Altrhein, which is heavily frequented by water sports enthusiasts when the weather is good.