Salzaspring

Location:

99734 Nordhausen.
A7 exit Hannoversch Münden/Werratal, F80 east 85 km to Nordhausen or A7 exit Seesen(Harz), B243 66 km to Nordhausen. In Nordhausen F4 turn north towards Blankenburg, at the city limits turn left, follow signs to Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Mittelbau Dora. After the turnoff to Mittelbau Dora turn right on dirt road, 500 m to allotment garden estate.
(51.5302460, 10.7615761)

Open:

no restrictions.
[2026]

Fee:

free.
[2026]

Classification:

Karst Spring Topic

Gypsum Caves and Mines

Light:

n/a

Dimension:

Salzaspring Quellteich:
Size of the spring	2450 m²
Size NNW to SSE	125 m
Depth of spring	30 bis 79 cm
Minimum yield	2131 l/s
Maximum yield	14351 l/s
Medium yield	7041 l/s
Yearly yield	66 bis 446 Mio m³
Average yearly yield	218.97 Mio m³
Altitude of water table	196 m asl
Water temperature	8.5 bis 10.2 °Celsius
Average water temperature	9.7 °Celsius
Average air temperature	8.1 °Celsius
Length of Salza river	58.25 km
Decline of Salza to estuary into Helme	18 m

Grundloses Loch:
Size	190 m²
Depth	35 m
Medium yield	2 Mio km/a
Average water temperature	10,1 °Celsius

selbstgeführt

erlaubt

nein

Josef Tauchmann (1992): Größte Karstquelle Thüringens - der Salzaspring In: Meyenburg Museum (Hrsg.): Beiträge zur Heimatkunde aus Stadt und Kreis Nordhausen. Heft 17. Nordhausen 1992, S. 39–52. Deutsch - German

Address:

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.

Geschichte

Description

Salzaspring is a huge karst spring with one big source and numerous small sources, e.g. the Tabaksbeutel (tobacco bag) and the Stiefel (boot). Those sources are very shallow. The Grundloses Loch (groundless pit) lies to the south and is much deeper. This source is an underwater doline and the water is deep enoughto show the typical green colour of water containing a high amount of gypsum.

The water of the spring comes from three nearby rivers Zorge, Kelle and Wieda. Those rivers flow about 5 km north, on the other side of the Kohnsteins. The water seeps into the gypsum, crosses the Kohnstein underground and reappears here. The Kohnsteins is a mountain ridge which reaches 300 m asl. The gypsum is mined in a big quarry in the north. But it got a certain kind of prominency, as it was the place of the subterranean V2 factory during World War II. The nearby Konzentrationslager Mittelbau Dora and the subterranean factory are open to the public.

The Salzaspring does not freeze in Winter, a good reason for a very early settlement in this area. The quarter Salza of Nordhausen was founded in 786.