Bachschwinden Brilon

The limestone massif of the Brilon Plateau is crisscrossed by numerous fissures. Rainfall seeps into these fissures and then flows underground. As a result, only a few slightly sunken valley formations have developed, and these are almost always dry. There are no permanently flowing watercourses. This is because as soon as the streams from the surrounding mountains reach the Brilon Plateau, they suddenly disappear.
The sinkholes—some of which are 10 meters deep—can be precisely located almost everywhere. The disappearing streams have formed valley heads at the sinkholes, which often take the shape of amphitheaters open toward the upstream end of the stream. During heavy rainfall or snowmelt, these sinkholes are sometimes unable to absorb the water, leading to flooding. Small lakes then form for a short time.