GERMANY: Waldeck Castle & Edersee Dam

Castle Waldeck is situated on top of a hill, above lake Edersee, offering a breathtaking view of the lake, the national park and the Kellerwald-Edersee nature reserve. Waldeck castle rests on the remnants of an 11th-century fortification, towering over the town of Waldeck. Formerly the ancestral seat and residence of the Counts of Waldeck, the fortification was later used as military barracks. In 1734 it was a state penitentiary, and in subsequent years was used as state archive, forestry office, and, as early as 1906, was put to use as a hotel. Today it belongs to the Waldeckian domanial administration and is public property. In September 2009, new leaseholder Volker Deigendesch reopened the redesigned Hotel Schloss Waldeck. Edersee is a reservoir (man-made lake used to store water). The Edersee Dam ('Edertalsperre') is a hydroelectric dam constructed between 1908 to 1914 across the Eder river. The dam is primarily used hydroelectric power generation and to regulate water levels for shipping on the Weser river. Waldeck & Edersee are located in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse, Germany. September 11, 2011 00:00 Driving to Waldeck 01:32 Waldeck Castle 02:57 View of Edersee (lake/reservoir) 04:58 Hotel Schloss Waldeck 05:17 Waldeck Bergbahn, small cable car (for 1-2 persons maximum) 06:56 Elsterberg, mountain (405,5m) 07:06 Waldeck town center 07:12 Edersee dam (Edertalsperre) 08:31 View of Waldeck Castle, from dam 09:22 Shops close to the dam 10:18 Walking on the dam 11:38 View of Edersee