The reservoir
By looking at the Sylvenstein lake, you can not see that it is not natural but created by man. This reservoir was built between 1954 and 1959 to protect against floods and as a retention reservoir in case of droughts.
Today, the Sylvenstein lake is also a popular destination for swimming or doing different kinds of water sports.
The small village of Fall
The village Fall got its name from a waterfall near the village, which does not exist anymore due to the creation of the Sylvenstein reservoir.
In the past, numerous celebrities came to Fall for their hunting vacations. For example Ludwig II. of Bavaria, the king who built Bavaria’s beautiful castles, like the Neuschwanstein castle. He also built himself a hunting lodge in Fall and a chapel in Vorderriß near Fall. The chapel is located on private property and therefore not open to the public.
The original village of Fall was not at the same place, where the village is now. Originally, the village was consisted of wooden houses. It also had an inn, a chapel which was built in 1740 and forestry office. When the constructions of the reservoir began in 1954, the village and its people had to move as “Old-Fall” was located where the artificial Sylvenstein lake was supposed to be created. The population was forced to resettle in “New-Fall” which lay a few hundred meters away. The buildings of “Old-Fall” were blasted during the construction works and in 1959 the whole surface of the original town was flooded by the Sylvenstein lake.
The foundation walls of “Old-Fall” can only be seen during long dry periods. The church tower jutting out of the water is a myth: the church building has been completely demolished.
