With its solid brick vault, the Round Pond Bridge dates back to the time of the Oldenburg Grand Dukes. The keystone of the vault reveals the year: 1888. With the construction of this bridge, an additional route for his beloved carriage rides through the park was created for Grand Duke Nikolaus Friedrich Peter.
Of course, the bridge owes its name to the adjacent pond and its shape. With its dimensions of about one hectare, the Round Pond is the second largest pond in the entire park grounds; only the Ellern pond is bigger. Partly surrounded by old oaks, the pond is a little paradise for birds, and it is not unusual for kingfishers to breed on its banks.
The construction of the round pond is formed by a wide ditch that runs through the palace garden into the ponds in front of the palace. At that time, there used to be elegant, light iron bridges that led across the ditch. If you are curious about what the railings of these bridges once looked like, visit the palace garden on the other side of Oldenburger Straße. There you will find replicas of them.
Upstream from the round pond, there is the crab pond. It dates back to the 17th century and was created by the famous Count Anton Günther. In those days, crayfish were considered a real delicacy, and of course, they could not be missed at the count's table.
Today, this once "aristocratic" treat is rightly no longer considered contemporary. The native crayfish species that was still fished here in the count's time is now threatened with extinction and, unfortunately, only occurs in some healthy waters.
After all, until a few years ago, the crayfish pond served as a water supply for the palace nursery, but this has since been abandoned, which is why a peaceful silence reigns here today. Under the tall trees, no wind stirs the water level, so their mighty crowns are reflected on the surface at all times of the year.