Wiesenbeker Teich pond

The Wiesenbeker Teich is an old mining storage pond and as a part of the Upper Harz Water Management System it has belonged to the UNESCO World Heritage in the Harz since 2010.

The ditches and storage ponds of the Upper Harz Water Management System were important for mining. The water was needed for the many water wheels in the mines. The ore extracted underground had to be hoisted to the surface. And water that had seeped into the mines had to be pumped out. The miners used water power for this.

The Wiesenbeker Teich was built in 1715. It was used to store water for the copper mines in Lauterberg.

When building the pond, the miners tried a new technique for the first time. The dam was built from natural stone and was sealed with clumps of grass. Previously the clumps of grass had been placed on the outside of the dam. For the dam at the Wiesenbeker Teich the miners put the seal of grass clumps into the middle of the dam. This protected it. For example from animals, the weather and waves in the pond.

They built the "Striegelhaus" on the dam and no longer on stilts in the water. This protected it from being damaged by ice.

The "Striegelhaus" is a small shed above the outlet of the storage pond. There, water can be let out of the pond. A bit like the plughole in a bath.

The dam of the Wiesenbeker Teich was more durable than the older dams. Later all the dams were built in this way. This is why the ponds in the Upper Harz Water Management System have survived so well until today.

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