Almost every year, when the Edersee in Hesse is at low water, it reveals a secret that is more than 100 years old. Because then the three villages of Asel, Berich and Bringhausen reappear. Once they were flooded to make way for so-called progress and 900 people lost their homes. Today, the “German Atlantis” attracts many tourists.
As one of the largest reservoirs in Germany, the Edersee is itself a popular tourist attraction in Hesse. What, however, perhaps not many know: Frequented by water sports enthusiasts and hikers of all kinds, it hides a secret of over 100 years under its surface. Or more, because when the lake is low – usually in autumn and winter – the remains of the three villages of Asel, Berich and Bringhausen emerge from its floods. These had to give up their residents when the Edertalsperre was built because they were flooded. TRAVELBOOK tells the story of Hesse Atlantis.
It was 1908 when the construction of a veritable mega-project in central Germany began. It is intended to dam the River Eder to promote shipping on the Weser and the Mittelland Canal during the summer months. In addition, the new reservoir will serve to generate electricity and protect against flooding. Thus the Edersee is finally created, like the official website of the mirror of water reported. The construction of the 47m high and 400m long dam ate up a staggering 7.5 million gold marks. And, as the price of progress, the three villages of Asel, Berich and Bringhausen.
Villages are relocated
Because these, it is immediately decided, must give way to the Edersee. Even though “soft” is actually the wrong word. Because it is decided without further ado to flood them. Residents are compensated and simply transferred. No one is asked in advance, many people are understandably against it. But nothing helps. And so, finally, some of the villages at higher altitudes are refounded. Other former residents are “relocated” to existing villages and communities.
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Berich, for example, a village from the 16th century, had to give way to the Edersee project as early as 1905. 130 people are losing their homes, according to the news site.”HNA extensionreported. In 1912 the last residents left their home and it was engulfed in a firestorm shortly thereafter. Because Berich is not only flooded, but also thoroughly shelled with artillery guns in advance. Only people can save their church. This is removed between 1912 and 1914 and rebuilt in Neu-Berich. The church is brought into its new location stone by stone with horse-drawn carriages and carriages, including the doors, windows, floor, organ and altar. The graves in the cemetery are sealed with concrete slabs so that at least the dead can rest in peace.
You can walk over this bridge
The procedure is the same in Bringhausen, which also received the evacuation order in 1905. On July 10, 1910, its inhabitants can greet their beloved village with a party, and then this place is history once and for all. Here, too, all the still usable building material is collected and the “new” Bringhausen is finally built on the southern shore of Lake Edersee. Asel was then relocated from 1913. The 60-metre-long Aseler Bridge, the best-preserved symbol of “German Atlantis”, still stands in the ancient city. It’s still in such good shape that you can walk across it at low tide. After a renovation in 1982, it is probably the only listed building in Germany that is under water for part of the year.
Whenever the Edersee is at low water, visitors flock to see the remains of Asel, Berich and Bringhausen. And walk in the footsteps of a submerged history. According to “HNA”, the scene is threatened by this, because the many visitors naturally contribute to further deterioration. And this partly literally, so many would like to take a stone with them as a “souvenir” of their visit. Furthermore, the neighboring municipalities of Waldeck and Edertal are doing too little to protect the historic site accordingly.
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Anyone who would like to see the ruins of sunken villages with their own eyes today can find out more about the water level on the official website of the Edersee. Here you can also see at which water level the various structures reappear from floods. You can walk over the Aseler Bridge again from a level of 235.10 meters above sea level. On the site you will also find a link to an app with which you can digitally resurrect the village of Berich using augmented reality. The “HNA” offers a map on their website showing exactly where to look for attractions. And so Asel, Berich and Bringhausen still live in a certain way more than 10 years after sinking in the waters of the Edersee.
Author Moritz Wollert presents this and many other exciting places in Germany in his new book “Germany’s craziest travel guide 2”, published on May 23, 2023 by riva Verlag.
