Das Waldbad (LP)

This place has long been forgotten. When I was a kid, I used to come here a few times while playing in the woods. When I was here again in early 2020, I thought it was time to place a cache here. After a good two years, in which the container was repeatedly smuggled and I unfortunately no longer have the time to replace it again and again, I decided to only offer the cache virtually. Those who found the first cache are welcome to log again.

Important: This geocache was created after consultation with the responsible forest district manager of the state enterprise Sachsenforst / forest district Chemnitz / district Zellwald. Therefore, observe the following rules when visiting: You are in a nature reserve and hunting area, so behave appropriately. Climbing trees, stepping on or fishing on/in the pond (former swimming pool) is prohibited. In addition, the geocache should only be visited during the day and preferably not during the breeding season (see also Cache Attributes). I ask you to comply with these rules, otherwise the cache may have to be removed completely.

History of the forest bath (Waldbad)

Since nothing could be found about the forest pool on the Internet, I obtained the following information from a conversation with a contemporary witness who was involved in the construction of the pool.

• The forest pool in the Großschirma district of Reichenbach was built as part of socialist farm aid by around 150 residents of the surrounding villages.
• An (originally) approx. 45x65m large oval swimming pool with a solid floor made of concrete slabs was created. At the rear end, the water is dammed up by a quarry stone and concrete wall.
• The Aschbach (name of the creek) was diverted into the newly created basin for filling. As soon as the basin was full, the water flowed back from a certain level through a notch in the wall (see photo) into the original course of the Aschbach.
• Due to the changed course of the stream, the pool was always full and the water was changed regularly.
• After about 5 years of construction, the pool was completed around 1973. Sunbathing lawns have been laid out around the pool.
• The water depth was about 1.8m at the deepest point, at the edge of the pool there was a 2m diving tower, of which only the remains of the foundation can be seen today.
• No entrance fee was charged when the pool was open, it was free for everyone to use. The neighboring residents offered fish sandwiches and sausages for sale.
• With the end of the GDR, the bath was closed due to failure to meet the hygiene requirements for bathing establishments. The water would have had to be treated with chlorine to further open the bath. This was not possible due to the flow into the Aschbach (because this is a fish water) and the lack of a filter/treatment system.
• The sunbathing lawns have been reclaimed by the vegetation, the Aschbach is returning to its original course, the water level has dropped and is only maintained by rainwater. The floor panels have been largely removed to keep intrepid swimmers out.

About the Geocache

With the cache I would like to show you the remains of the forest pool so that this place is not completely forgotten. Take a photo of yourself or with an object typical for geocachers in front of the forest pool - at least a piece of the wall from the edge of the pool should be visible - and attach it to the log.