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History of the ponds in the Sohlbachtal
The Sohlbacher Weiher, an idyllic body of water in the forest behind the town of Netphen, was artificially created over 130 years ago. The gas, water and sewerage works of the city of Siegen originally created the Sammelweiher, as well as the Afholderbacher and Obernauer Weiher, as so-called "compensation ponds". These ponds collected excess water to irrigate the surrounding meadows in summer and to prevent flooding in winter.
The creation of these ponds was the result of a dispute over water supplies. When the city of Siegen began planning water extraction systems in the headwaters of the Sohlbach, Afholderbach and Obernau in 1880, the local meadow owners feared that they would not have enough water to irrigate their meadows, especially in summer. After several years of resistance from the villagers, which even reached the Kaiser in Berlin, a compromise was reached: additional ponds were created to provide farmers with enough water in summer too.
Nowadays, the Sohlbacher Weiher has a new function: since October 2022, it has been home to a noble crayfish colony. This measure is part of a project to protect the endangered noble crayfish, which used to be found in almost every local river and stream. The pond was chosen as an ideal habitat for the crayfish due to its good water quality and natural bank structures.
Sohlbach itself is now supplied with drinking water from the Obernau Dam, which was built between 1967 and 1972, and the original spring pipes and use for meadow irrigation have long since been abandoned. The existing ponds have been adapted to suit their use and are now used for fish farming.
The youngest pond in the Sohlbach Valley is Lummer Lake, which was created in the early 1970s specifically for fish farming. From its construction until its opening as a commercial fishing park in the early 2000s, Lummer Lake was nameless, unfenced and accessible to everyone. It served as a tourist destination, a local recreation area and, in winter, as an ice skating lake.