Brunnenstollen Trippstadt


Useful Information

Location: Trippstadt
Open: MAY to AUG, after appointment.
[2007]
Fee: Adults EUR 3.
[2007]
Classification: SubterraneaWater Supply
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=285 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Trippstadter Brunnenstollen, Tourist-Information Trippstadt, Hauptstraße 26, 67705 Trippstadt, Tel: +49-6303-341, Fax: +49-6306-1529. E-mail: contact
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

~1730 start of construction.
1767 completed.
1965 shut down.

Description

The Trippstadter Brunnenstollen is a water tunnel, which was built to collect water from various springs and conduct it to the castle and village of Trippstadt. The tunnel was passable and was created in the so called Gegenortverfahren, which means the tunnel was built from both sides at the same time, and the two parts finally had to meet. This technique is is very old, it was used in the ancient world. A part of the tunnel is not really underground, it was built above ground, just bringing up the walls and covering them with a vault.

The castle of Trippstadt was built by the architect and surveyor Sigmund Jakob Haeckher from nearby Pfälzisch-Zweibrücken. He used local red sandstones, which were accurately cut and trimmed plane, probably in quarries around the village. At the same time, while building the castle, he also planned and constructed the tunnel for the water supply.

The visit of the tunnel is possible only in small groups, between 5 and 10 persons, which is a result of the restricted space inside the narrow tunnel. Visitors are equipped with special fisher trousers, which are a sort of extremely long rubber boots with the upper rim below the arms. A rain coat, helmet, and miners lamps are necessary, as the tunnel has no development at all. The tunnel is entered through a 60 cm wide and 1.50 m high door, which is closed by a wroughtiron gate. This is the upper end, and the tour will walk the whole tunnel downhill to the lower exit near the castle. At first there is a side branch 29.80 m long called 1. Sauger (1st suckeer!) which collects water from a spring. To the right is the main collector, a huge cavern with avoulted ceiling, which was used to create a water reservoir. This part was built above ground and then covered by earth. Following the tunnel further, there is a second branch off, consequently called 2. Sauger (2nd sucker), a 46.25 m long tunnel collecting more springs. This tunnel has two 50x50 cm wide ventilation shafts.

Now we enter the really underground part of the tunnel, which runs for about 250 m, with irregular shape and changing direction slightly now and then. As it was built from two sides, and surveying techniques were not as good as today, there is a certain misalignment. The two tunnels, the Quellbachbaulos (spring side part) and the Judenhübelbaulos (Judenhübel part) have completely different sizes. The upper tunnel was too low, so there is a step daming the water. To make it flow better, the the lower part was also lowered, so it finally became 2,50 m high. At the southern end of the tunnel is the so called Absetzbecken (settling pond), which consists of two chambers. Here the speed of the flowing water was drastically reduced and so sand and silt is deposited on the ground. At last the water is distributed to various fountains and water conduits. This is the place where the water tight trousers are needed, the settling pond is deep and water filled.