Blautopf
From the Swabian Jura mountains of southern Germany, the meaning “Blue Pot” meaning the spring’s blue and dazzling color, lends itself to fascination and myth.
On my route to Tübingen, I stopped in Ulm. There I met a man passing me on the sidewalk while I was strolling down to the Fischer Quarters. I asked him for the direction and we started talking about where he was from, the town Blaubeuren. He was telling me about the “Blautopf” in his hometown that has a deep blue color, which is best seen in good weather periods. It is a feature of the Karst Spring and one of the largest of its kind in Germany, 21 meters deep.
I had read about that place, and to my knowledge it had a beautiful blue spring or pond called “Blautopf”. I decided to stop there on my way halfway to Tübingen, and it did not disappoint.
I took pictures walking around the pond. It was short hike, but worthwhile.
The Blautopf has a vast underground branched cave system in the karst spring landscape. Erosion over 1000’s of years has dug an intricate and ever-growing network of tunnels through the region’s soft limestone. It has creating a complex underground drainage system.
Due to the high pressure of the water coming from the bottom of the spring, the Blautopf has a steep funnel-like shape measuring 21 meters (69 feet) at its deepest point.
Because the strange color, the remarkably deep pool has had a few legends associated with it over the centuries. Numerous myths and surround the blue spring, according to the legend “The Beautiful Lau” by Eduard Mörike – it is said that once there lived a water-mermaid.
The Legend
The most famous legend associated with the Blautopf is that a beautiful mermaid who was incapable of laughing and could only bear stillborn children
According to the legend, the Mermaids husband, the King of the Black Sea, responded to this situation by banishing her to the Blautopf until she managed to laugh five times, which would break her stillborn curse.
Watch a 5 min. video about this magical place:
When traveling to this spring in Blaubeuren, proceed with extreme caution. Because of the depth, diving is extremely dangerous Therefore, it is recommended to enjoy the view from the surface.
Other impressions: Walking to the Blautopf from a Monastery that was founded in 1085, which was a Benediktiner Kloster at early times
