Aachtopf

The Aachtopf is Germany's biggest natural spring, producing an average of 8,500 liters per second. Production varies seasonally and in response to the weather, but the spring never falls dry. The Aachtopf is a karst spring which is located south of the western end of the Swabian Jura, near the town Aach.

The name Aachtopf is compounded from "Aach" (meaning water in Old High German), the name of the river created by the spring. "Topf" can be translated as "bowl" and is commonly used for round, bowl-shaped springs. The Aach flows southward into Lake Constance, which empties into the Rhine.

The spring marks the southern end of a cave system which transports water from the western end of the Swabian Jura. Most of the water is derived from the Danube River and is obtained where the latter river disappears underground at the "Donauversickerung" (Danube Sink) near Immendingen and Fridingen. Strangely, the Danube flows eastwards into the Black Sea, whereas the "Rhine" flows northwards to the North Sea. Therefore the water of the "Aach" flows under the European continental divide. This is a relatively common feature of karst stream captures.

The karst spring is connected to a huge cave, which runs northwards. The cave is completely water-filled and can only be explored by cave divers. The first exploration was made by Jochen Hasenmayer, a famous German cave diver. Unfortunately, a collapse blocks the cave after a few hundred meters. The cave may continue for several kilometers beyond the otherside of the blockage. A local caving club was formed to find this "lost cave segment" by digging a shaft behind the collapse. At present, a continuation of the cave has not been found.

The Aachtopf is a favourite weekend destination and very romantic. It is not possible to see the cave because it is underwater and cave diving is extremely dangerous.

External links

* [http://www.showcaves.com/english/de/springs/Aach.html Aachtopf] More background info on the karst spring.