Top 20 Lakes around Ellrich

This shelter no longer exists and the stamp box has been moved slightly.

This medieval fortress rose above an old trade route known as the Trockweg. The crew of the Trageburg guarded the ford through the Rappbode and the surrounding mines and royal forests. With the construction of the Rappbodevorsperre and the formation of the reservoir, this ford and the historic trade route were flooded. No remains of the walls of the medieval castle have survived over the centuries, which means that nothing can be seen of the former fortress area today. Only the attached board provides information. The view over the Rappbode dam is particularly beautiful

The small river Hassel is dammed here, which was built in the years 1956-1959. The reservoir, which is normally full to the brim, is part of the Rappbode dam system. The dam is mainly used to pre-clean the drinking water. Suspended matter and other coarse impurities settle on the bottom of the artificial lake. The pre-cleaned water then flows over the overflow on the dam wall towards the main dam.

At the Hasselvorsperre there is a nice rest area with a great view of the dam, a great photo opportunity and the HWN stamp point

a nice and clean shelter at the crane ponds, it's not far from here to the "HIstorical gypsum kiln".

The crane ponds offer some great photo opportunities, a circular route leads around them, and it's not far from here to the "Historic Gypsum Kiln" stamping point

The two ponds are located near Bad Sachsa, west of the Neuhof district, and were created by the monks of the Cistercian monastery of Walkenried starting in the 12th century. A nature trail – a hiking trail – leads from the parking lot at the Crane Ponds in Neuhof around the Upper and Lower Crane Ponds, as well as the remains of other ponds. Because of their proximity to nature, the ponds are now part of the "Gypsum Karst Area near Bad Sachsa" nature reserve, which extends in several areas from Tettenborn to the Thuringian border; the area is also part of the European Natura 2000 protected area network. Crystal algae thrive in the clean, calcareous water of the ponds. The still waters also provide good conditions as a partial habitat for great crested newts. The marsh harrier also lives in the water-rich landscape near Neuhof and can occasionally be observed. Short detours from the trail lead to special features of the area: the Kranichstein quarry, where raw gypsum has been mined since the early 20th century, a historic gypsum kiln, and the Priestersteinhöhle natural monument, a shallow cave in the gypsum of the Kranichstein. The Lower Kranichteich is approximately 300 m long and 130 m wide, while the Upper Kranichteich is approximately 150 m long and 200 m wide. Both ponds are a true fishing paradise: In addition to the main species, trout, anglers can look forward to eel, pike, carp, and tench.

The Hasselvorsperre (385 m above sea level) is located between Hasselfelde and Trautenstein. The Hassel Vorsperre is just like the Rappbode Vorsperre below the supporting castle HWN 52, a Vorsperre of the Rappbodetalsperre. The two upstream dams are used to pre-clean the water from debris and turbidity. The water is dammed up in the fore dams and then flows through the overflows into the main dam. In this way, the upstream dams also prevent the river valleys from drying out. The most favorable starting point for a 6 km long hike around the Hasselvorsperre is the hiking car park below the Hagenmühle. The stamp box is located on the right side of the dam. Source: https://www.harzer-wandernadel.de/stempelstellen/uebersichtskarte/stempelstelle-53-hassel-%20vorsperre/