Muehlacker · DE

Wullesee

The Wullesee is a small, leaf-fringed lake at the edge of Durrmenz, a district of Muhlacker in Baden-Wurttemberg, in the Enzkreis north-west of Stuttgart. Roughly a hectare across, it is no grand reservoir but a compact, low-key local pond that has quietly played several roles over the years: a brewery's ice store, a village skating spot, today an angling club's water and one of the most important amphibian spawning sites in the region. What makes the Wullesee special is its story of near-disappearance and revival. The artificial lake once dried out completely, earning locals the teasing nickname 'Wullewiese' (Wulle meadow). After a new well was built and leaks in the bottom were repaired, the water came back, and with it swans, fish and the spring masses of toads, newts and fire salamanders that make this one of Baden-Wurttemberg's key spawning waters. It is a small place, but a living piece of local history and conservation.