I decided to trace the Lauter through Kaiserslautern all the way to the Lauter Spring down in the forest on the southeastern side of Ktown. It’s all very bikable and can be enjoyed and explored on a weekend. The route goes all the way to Lauterecken and the majority of the time it is on bike path. You should go explore and go find some cool historical places!
The Lauter Spring
The Lauter starts in the forest on the southeastern side of Kaiserslautern. The original area is fenced off from the public. Inside that secure area is the spring and the 3 ponds or “woog” created from the spring. It was said the spring would release up to 50 gallons a second and would fill up the ponds in the area. It’s amazing to think about that much water coming from the ground!
The Lauter Flowing into Kaiserslautern
The Lauter starts its journey into town and is a really small creek for the first several kilometers. Even today, it’s a tiny stream flowing through little ditches or even into the sewer. Today, it first flows through a small garden community and then disappears under the ground to flow below the Warmfreibad and the Volkspark.
Inside the Volkspark, there is a rock with a spring flowing from the center and then flowing into the large pond but this is very evidently not natural. The Volkspark is very beautiful! Based on looking at this old 1800s map, you can see that it was meandering stream in wide open fields 200 years ago.
Fishing Downtown in the Lauter
The Lauter finally arrives in downtown Kaiserslautern. You can identify some modern buildings like St. Martin Church and the Casimir Castle next to the Rathaus in the picture. The Lauter slowed down and spread out into several ponds. This area was known for its fishing and hunting and was a retreat for royalty. That’s why a fish is part of the town’s coat of arms because fishing is a long standing tradition along the Lauter!
The Lautertal Today
The Lauter eventually leaves the confines of the underground channel and is exposed near the sewer plant in northern Kaiserslautern. It flows out of the channel and then runs along the sewer plant. It then moves north toward Lauterecken or “Lauter point” to enter the Glan River.
The best part about this portion of the valley is the Lautertal bike trail. You can travel from Kaiserslautern to Lauterecken on mostly bike path. It’s an amazing ride and really fun! I’ve gone up to Wolfstein but not beyond there. You do get some nice views of the valley and hear the flowing sounds of the Lauter.
The Lauter flows approximately 21 miles or 33 kilometers.
No, the Lauter Spring is protected by the Kaiserslautern Water Works and is fenced off. There is a ritterstone commemorating the spring near the source you can visit.