Windsborn Crater Lake — Attraction in Wittlich-Land

The Windsborn Kratersee (Reihenkrater Moosberg)

The lake can be reached from the 'Parkplatz am Mosenberg' via a small upward trail which leads to the crater rim (ca 100m). The crater rim path has to be crossed and then one has to spy a downward trail. Up and down. In more colorful language, one has to crest an ash heap (tephra), by now well forested, to reach the lake.

Biosphere reserve. No swimming (tempting enough), no fishing, no barbecuing.

Landing stages cross the bulrush and fireweed zone. One can always see the landing stage at the opposing shore. The clock face with the missing dials. All 'apron walking' at your own peril (more signboards). Dragonfly hangout, e.g. ruddy darter (the time for mating acrobatics, all kinds of sailor's knots, will coincide with the mushroom season). The whole lake is rather shallow (water depth 1-2m). The close-by Hinkelsmaar is silted up (some foul play, drained in 1840). The pristine setting is somewhat deceptive. An old picture from the turn of the 20th century shows that the Mosel vineyards did once extend right to the water edge.

There exist 3 basic types of craters. Impact craters (e.g. Barringer), volcanic craters (Vesuvius) and craters due to phreatomagmatic eruptions (basically a boiler explosion when subterranean aquifers come into contact with hot magna - tamping due to permafrost does help, bigger bang). The Windsborn Krater is of the volcanic type (unlike the close by 'Meerfelder Maar' [same word as in 'Mare Crisium'] which came into being due a 'boiler explosion'. All types of craters can be topped up with water under favorable conditions (impermeable soil). No crater in a karst/limestone region will fill with water (e.g. Nördlinger Ries) - but a Carlsbad cave may form there in time. Estimated age of the Windsborn Krater, Landesamt, about 30,000 years (the tail-end of the Pleistocene). Other sources (Eifel-Info): 80,000 years. A later date seems more likely (one just has to think of the sedimentation sludge in rain barrels, ½ in by year?). In any case recent history by geological time scales. The peak of volcanic activity further South in the Palatinate was in the Permian era (Weisselberg, Hellerberg). Off limits to any observer more advanced than...

Ein Ort in absoluter Ruhe ( bis auf die Drohne, Gott sei Dank nur sehr kurz und sehr hoch), wunderschön natürlich, zum Entspannen und Relaxen mit endlosen Möglichkeiten, seine Wanderroute zu erweitern und/ oder auf Bänken und Stegen auszuruhen und nur zu genießen. Wunderschöner Ausblick vom Gipfelkreuz und all das Lavagestein zum Anschauen. Parkplatz in der Nähe und viele Infotafeln. Wir waren definitiv nicht zum letzten Mal hier!! Klare Ausflugsempfehlung!! Übrigens: Manderscheid mit seinen zwei Burgen ist ganz in der Nähe,...

Wir waren mit unserem vulkanbegeisterten Fünfjährigen in der Vulkaneifel unterwegs und der Besuch des Kratersees gehörte natürlich dazu. Der Bereich um den Kratersee ist der Natur überlassen, nur enge Fußwege führen um den See herum. Von allen Seiten hat man einen wunderschönen Blick auf den See, kann auf den verschiedenen Stegen verweilen und den Enten, Schmetterlingen und Libellen zusehen. Ganz toll, idyllisch und ruhig. Auch die Wege um den Kratersee herum lohnen...