Saxony, Germany | Watery Wonders
Apparently, the Lichtenhain Waterfall just wasn’t good enough. A small waterfall in Kirnitzschtal in South Saxony, the original waterfall was improved in the 1830s by adding a “weir,” a small overflow dam used to raise the level of a stream, and in this case improve upon the looks and profitability of the waterfall.
Operated by a “water-puller” the “weir” or gate, they installed gave the operators another advantage: they can show off. While the Lichtenhain Waterfall was normally low flow, when enough tourists gathered, and paid the operator of course, the “waterfall-puller” pulls the gate and the water reservoir is emptied all at once. The normally calm waterfall became a rushing torrent to the delight of all around. Today, it is much the same, though you no longer have to pay the operator, the gate is pulled every half hour, and is timed to be in time with accompanying music.
The improvements weren’t entirely cosmetic, as the falls were also later used to power the Bad Schandau, a steel frame 171 foot tall (52.26 m) Art Nouveau elevator built in 1904.
The Lichtenhain Waterfall can be best reached by the Kirnitzsch valley tram, a narrow gauge old electric tramway, in operation since 1898 and now powered in part (roughly 20%) by solar panels, from Bad Schandau. Once dropped off, it is still roughly a half hours walk to the waterfall, which includes a very neat walk up “Jacob’s Ladder,” metal stairs through a narrow rift in Ritterschlucht gorge. Keep your eyes out for “cowshed” cave a huge rock arch, some 11 meters high.
