Craneweyer

The Cranenweyer is a reservoir in the Anstel Valley in the Dutch municipality of Kerkrade.

In the mid-20th century, the coal mines in Kerkrade discharged their polluted wastewater into the surrounding streams. Likewise the Ham-Mine and the Domanial Mine. They used the Anstelerbeek for this. After the mine closures, activities were developed to improve the appearance of the area. One of those activities was the construction of a walking area of which this reservoir is a part.

A dam was built in the Anstelerbeek just before Eygelshoven. The resulting lake was named Cranenweyer. It is the only reservoir in the Netherlands. The lake was given its name on August 30, 1974. The Kerkrade Land Register of 1771 mentions a piece of land located "an der Cranen weyer" (weyer = pond). It belongs to the domain of Erenstein Castle. The pond itself is located in the southern part of the present reservoir. The Cranenweyer covers an area of approximately 20 ha. It has a regulatory function (prevention of flooding in the former municipality of Eygelshoven and overloading of the Worm) and a recreational function (location in a recreation area, fishing pond with approximately 500 fishing spots, and former rowing pond).

Source: Wikipedia