Apeldoorn - Hoog Soeren, Groene Poeltje

The Groene Poeltje (Little Green Puddle) is situated just outside the village of
Hoog Soeren in a small valley of a hill named Pomphul. The valley with the puddle has probably already had an attraction and significance for the inhabitants of this elevated part of the Veluwe in prehistoric times. The nearby burial mounds in prove that people lived here from an early age.

Due to the high altitude of Hoog Soeren, obtaining sufficient drinking water was often a problem in the past. Around 1800 a pump was installed in the valley of Pomphul. When in summer the rain barrels and wells in Hoog Soeren were dry, the villagers had to fetch water from Groene Poeltje with a barrel on a barrow. The trip with the heavy barrow back up to the village was quite a job. In 1927 the village became its own water piping.

Since the 17th century, however, a water pipe made of lead, wooden and earthenware pipes ran from Pomphul to the gardens of Het Loo Palace. The construction of this 13-kilometer long pipeline was commissioned by king Willem III. The difference in height of about 30 meters caused an enormous water pressure. The final result were 20 fountains, each 4 meters high and one fountain 13 meters high; the highest spouting fountain in Europe !!