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Photographer’s Note

Some days ago I visited the old monastery Maria Laach situated in a huge caldera - formed after a volcanic eruption dated to 12900 years ago.
The monks of the abbey, Benedictines, two times mined tunnels through the crater wall in order to lower the water level of the lake. In this way they protected the abbey with it's basilica from floods (the lake has no natural outflow) and they got more agricultural crop land in the crater. Before this the water level fluctuated up to 15 meters.

The monastery today - besides its religious importance - also is a commercial enterprise. It is the owner of the complete crater with all it's touristic facilities (camping-ground, boat rental, fishing), a book store, a market garden, a hotel, a restaurant, several crafts enterprises, animal breeding and orchards with 10000 fruit trees - all certified organic cultivation!
Here you can see a part of the offering of apples in the monastery's shop, all grown here in the crater.

The shown sorts of apples in the boxes - beginning top left:

Idared
Laacher Honigapfel
Goldparmäne
Braeburn
Rubinette
Elstar
Topaz
Berlepsch
Boskoop
Laacher Rosenapfel

I by far like Berlepsch the most. It's an old sort, very delicious and also a very healthy sort - but I think it's established only in Germany.

Please help yourself! You know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! ;-))

papagolf21, Guenther, edge, saxo042, Dashab, Jakab has marked this note useful

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Additional Photos by Frank Kaiser (Buin) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4420 W: 32 N: 10210] (37412)
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