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On May 1 the “Infozentrum Seenland” — the Lake District Info Centre — at the Mandles Mill near the Brombach Lake opened its gates once more. As one of the weekend and holiday supervisors I had the pleasure of starting the second season for this small, but excellent museum.

Because the title “Infozentrum” — Info Centre — is somewhat misleading: the “Infozentrum Seenland” is actually not a general tourist information, but a real museum. However, there’s indeed lots of information to be found there — about the development and construction of the “Neue Fränkische Seenland” (the New Franconian Lake District). 300m² exhibition space are devoted to interesting explanations of how and why our lakes were created. The modern concept of the exhibition works extremely well: visitors can select movies to watch, sound-bytes to listen to and try out participatory elements. That way there’s a lot to discover for both old(er) and young(er) visitors. This year there are even picture books for the youngest visitors available. In other words, the info centre has something to offer to the whole family.

If you want to know more about it all, I can recommend the following brochure: “Water Transfer Danube/Main-Rhine”

My day at the info centre starts a quarter to ten in the morning with opening the heavy wooden doors. Then I start up the technical applications: the internet console and the projectors with the movies boot, lights go on … and on the first (American second) floor there’s still a buggy recording that starts without anyone pressing the relevant button.

That early in the morning I’m still alone and can take a walk around the mill to check if everything’s all right. Spring has sprung …

Everything’s green and decked out in blossoms. This year apple trees, lilacs and horse chestnuts are blooming at the same time.

Apart from new seats outside nothing much has changed around here since last season.

There, everything’s all right. Now the visitors can come.

Just for a little while this snail remained the only visitor.

This year, thanks to the beautiful weather on Labour Day (May 1, a national holiday in Germany), there are lots of people around and about. Shortly after ten o’clock the first group of visitors arrives.

At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. it’s time for a movie: next door in the projection room I run a documentation about the origins of the Neue Fränkische Seenland (the New Franconian Lake District) that summarises the whole story in an interesting and easily understandable manner.

For larger groups of visitors — like those early birds on May 1 — I show the movie at other times, too, of course, no problem at all.

Later the centre is never empty. Families, cyclists, hikers, local people, tourists … at the end of the day I had counted nearly 200 visitors!