If you pass the Hoher Meißner mountain in northern Hesse, Germany you can enjoy many interesting places. This can be easily recognized by the vast amount of parking areas and signs telling you which way to take to reach nice spots. The Hoher Meißner region really does a lot for tourism and especially for hikers. One beautiful place that doesn’t require a long walk is the Frau-Holle-Teich close to road L3242 between Frankenhain and the viewpoint Schwalbenthal.
Frau-Holle-Teich, Meißner 
Frau-Holle-Teich, Meißner 
Frau-Holle-Teich, Meißner
Who is Mother Holle?
Mother Holle or ‘Frau Holle‘ in German is a fairytale written down by the Brothers Grimm. It belongs to the category of stories about well-behaved and naughty girls. The fairytale includes a person that is older than the fairytale itself: Perchta, Berchta or Bertha – a goddess known in the alpine German speaking regions. The fairytale itself tells the story of a widow with a daughter and a stepdaughter. Her own daughter is lazy and ugly – bet she prefers her over the diligent and beautiful stepdaughter.
The stepdaughter has to work and work – and once while spinning the reel falls into a well. Therefore she enters the well and finds the world of Mother Holle. This unknown person requests a lot of tasks to be fulfilled and the stepdaughter does as requested. In the end she is lead through a gate and gold falls down on her. As a result the widow sends her own daughter down, too. But she refuses to help and returns full of tar pitch.
What has the Frau-Holle-Teich to do with the fairytale?
Different versions of the fairytale exist – but most of them are located in the Hoher Meißner region. It is said that the Frau-Holle-Teich is endless deep and that it is the entrance to the world of Mother Holle. It is said that a miner tried to measure the lake but couldn’t reach the bottom, he stopped after 65 Lachtern which means somewhat around 117 meters (a Lachter was the typical measure in mining, defined by the amount a miner could contain within his two outstretched arms). It is also common believe that Mother Holle shows close to the lake, that children come from within the lake, and that the souls of the dead return there.
What can be seen there today?
Currently you can drive directly to the Frau-Holle-Teich and park your car there. It is a small lake – the highest one in the region. Next to the water you will find benches to sit down and a wooden statue of Mother Holle placed there in 2004. It shows the young Mother Holle with a pillow – as it is said that it snows on earth when she shakes her pillow. There has also been some controversial discussion about the statue – as Mother Holle has pretty big boobs. 😉 The lake is also a good starting point for hikers.
Frau-Holle-Teich
Next to road L3242
37290 Meißner
Germany
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