Poppenröder Quelle

Useful Information

Location:	Quellenweg, 99974 Mühlhausen. A4 exit Gotha, B247 43 km through Gotha and Bad Langensalza to Mühlhausen. A7 exit Hannöversch Münden/Werratal, B80 49 km through Witzenhausen to Leinefelde, B247 26 km south to Mühlhausen. Mühlhausen, north of Gotha. Poppenrode is a western quarter of Mühlhausen, from the B249 turn south into the Quellenweg, follow to the end. (51.2008215, 10.4181017)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst spring, sinkhole spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	Y=29-46 l/s, VR=3.75 m, T=10.5-11.5 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Brunnenhaus Popperode, Quellenweg, 99974 Mühlhausen, Tel: +49-3601-4520. E-mail: Tourist Information Mühlhausen, Ratsstraße 20, 99974 Mühlhausen, Tel: +49-3601-404770. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1199	spring created by a major earthquake.
1552	Poppenrode described as a deserted settlement.
1605	Mention of the well festival in Mühlhausen, decision to tap the spring and build the well house.
1614	Well house built by Mühlhausen master builder Hans Rinke and master carpenter Matthes Lauberbach.
JUL-1649	Swedish Hereditary Prince Karl X Gustav has lunch in the Popperöder Brunnenhaus with his high-ranking officers and Mühlhausen councillors.

Description

photography — Postcard, Popperöder Quelle, Germany. Public Domain.

The Popperöder Quelle (spring of Poppenrode) is a sinkhole spring in Poppenrode, a district of Mühlhausen, and is located around 4 km west of the town centre. Its catchment area is the wooded Hainich ridge running from north to south to the south-west of Mühlhausen. This ridge consists of Muschelkalk (Middle Triassic) limestone and is karstified, even though not a single cave is known. The caves are considered to be completely filled with water and are too small to enter. The spring is responsible for the well-known Mühlhausen travertine. The Popperöder Bach was also used to operate several water mills in Mühlhausen.

The spring is said to have been created in 1199 by a major earthquake. This earthquake was probably caused by the collapse of a water-bearing cave below, which created a sinkhole and the water then left the cave via the sinkhole. This is of course only an assumption, as the cave is not accessible. The collapsed masses block access to the cave at a water depth of 3.8 metres and the water penetrates through the gaps between the blocks. There are other springs in the immediate vicinity, including the Grundloch and Brunnen V, which are still used to supply the town with water. It can be assumed that before the collapse of the sinkhole, there was a spring where the water resurfaced, which then fell dry due to the diversion. However, it is not known where this spring was located. One obvious assumption is the area of the Mühlhausen travertine, i.e. in the urban area of Mühlhausen. The reason is simple: travertine is deposited near the spring as soon as the water loses its carbon dioxide and the limestone is precipitated. The size of the deposit also suggests that there was once a larger spring here that no longer exists today.

The spring was very impressively integrated into the architecture of the spring house. In 1605, the Mühlhausen mayor Gregor Fleischhauer and councillor Conrad Ebenau decided to provide the spring with a stone surround and build a fountain house. The Brunnenfeste (well festivals) are explicitly mentioned, which were probably an important reason for the construction of the well house. However, it is not known whether this was for the safety of the festival visitors or to provide infrastructure for the festival. The fountain house was built in 1614 by the Mühlhausen master builder Hans Rinke and the master carpenter Matthes Lauberbach. The Swedish hereditary prince Karl X Gustav had lunch in the Popperöder Brunnenhaus with his high-ranking officers and Mühlhausen councillors. This seems a little strange, but the year 1649 provides the essential clue. This was the time immediately after the end of the Thirty Years' War and the hereditary prince was travelling through the Mühlhausen area with his army on his way home from Münster to Sweden.

An iron railing on the circular setting prevents falls into the spring. This is surrounded on one side by staircase-like semicircular tiers and on the other side by the building. The design is strongly reminiscent of a Roman theatre with semicircular tiers and a stage house. The ground floor of the building is made of natural stone with Romanesque archways and, like the fountain setting, is made of Mühlhausen travertine. The first floor, however, is half-timbered with an old German slate roof. The arcade-like porch with two Tuscan columns and the five ornamental turrets on the roof are quite unusual. The spring is indeed of great tourist importance, although the focus is always on the well house. The spring itself, which was the reason for its construction, is usually only mentioned in passing.

The spring was of central importance to the town for a long time, so it is not surprising that the first tram line, which was built in 1898, ended here. The stop existed until the tram was abolished in 1969. The building was refurbished and renovated several times, the last time in the early 1990s. From 1975 until this renovation, the upper floor was used by the Mühlhäuser Museum as an exhibition space and was therefore accessible. Since the renovation, it is no longer possible to visit, although wedding ceremonies are organised here.