Completed in 1914, Edersee Dam (“Edertalsperre” auf Deutsch) created what remains the second largest man made reservoir in Germany:  Eder Lake (or “Edersee” to the locals)…..with only a slight hiccup in 1943 when the British blew it up with a bouncing bomb.

The area surrounding the reservoir has evolved into a popular vacation/recreation site for Germans and tourists alike.

Things to do (some could be seasonal):

** Average temperature in mid-Sept ranges from ~47F – 67F**

• Bicycle rentals – Liz and I rented a couple of bikes and rode part way around the lake on our last visit in 2014.  There are cycling paths that go all the way around the lake, but actually riding the whole distance would be more than a casual feat.
• Swimming – Maybe not in September, as the weather will have cooled off by that point.
• Kayak/Canoe/Sailboat rental
• Lake cruises
• Hiking

Nearby Attractions:

• Waldeck Castle – If you are attending, you will visit this one.   The castle does have a small museum off of the gift shop.  In includes a torture chamber….something you should keep in mind when the pastor asks if there are objections.
• Edersee Dam itself – Contains a museum detailing the, rather interesting, history of the dam and reservoir.
• TreeTopWalk – Der Baumkronenweg am Edersee is something I recently stumbled across.  Essentially a (short) elevated nature trail.  ‘Could be novel.

Day-Trip Attractions:

• City of Kassel – A regional art/culture city with a couple of large palace grounds to explore.  Richard went to school here in 2004 and can recommend sights if you are interested.~30 minutes by car
• City of Heidelberg – Liz and I really enjoyed walking around old Heidelberg last year.  A large pedestrian zone winds through charming historic-feeling streets in the shadow of a substantial palace ruin.  2hr 48min by car
• The Nürburgring – A motorsports/petrolhead mecca, the ‘ring is the longest racetrack currently in-use in the world.  The castle in the middle of the track holds some significance to us as that is where Richard popped the question (and as one might assume given the nature of this site, Liz said “of course”).  3hrs 5 min by car.
  *A measurable contingent including the wedding party has plans to decamp from Waldeck to Adenau (a town neighboring the track) Monday the 14th.  Details

Regional Attractions

• StuttGart – Another one for the gearheads.  If you like cars, and haven’t been to the Porsche Museum, it’s worth a visit.  I was there for ~4 hours and had to rush to make it out before they closed.  4 hrs 3 min by car
• Amsterdam, Netherlands – I probably don’t need to explain this one much.  4hrs 19 min by car
• Paris , France –  7hrs 21min by car (or, I’ve heard, ~1 month in Tiger tanks)