Schiederweiher

The Schiederweiher is an artificial lake in Hinterstoder, Upper Austria, created by damming the river Krumme Steyr. It lies at 612 metres above sea level at the foot of the Großer Priel in the Totes Gebirge range. The pond covers about two hectares and is only one to one and a half metres deep. Water flows in through a ditch from the Krumme Steyr and from wells on the lake bed. A wooden weir controls the outflow back into the river. The lake was built between 1897 and 1902 by Johann Schieder, a master builder in the Austro-Hungarian service. In 2004 and 2005 the municipality of Hinterstoder restored the pond with help from the Duke of Württemberg to reduce silt and algae. The lake bottom is covered with calcium-rich marl where stoneworts and common water-crowfoots grow. A strip of phragmites lines the southern shore, while other banks have only sparse reed patches and a wet meadow borders the western side. After the restoration the reed zone and shallow waters were preserved and stocked with river trout, arctic char, coregonus, minnow, bullhead and crayfish. The purple trail of the Via Alpina passes the lake on its way to the Prielschutzhaus mountain hut. In 2018 the Schiederweiher was chosen as the most beautiful site in Austria in a popular vote for the TV series “9 Plätze – 9 Schätze.”