Tiefer See sounds like a deep lake, and the Tiefer Teich beside Maulbronn takes its name from the same idea: it was one of the deeper ponds in the monks' water system, and so a place for holding fish through the winter. Medieval fish farming was a clever business. Carp and other freshwater fish were kept in successive ponds, from spawning to rearing to storage, and the monks could drain and harvest each one in turn. Since the Church forbade meat on many days of the year, a reliable fish supply was essential.
The pond lies about a kilometre from the monastery, in the wooded valley that the Cistercians chose for its water and its seclusion. They were organised, quiet and highly practical builders, and the dams, ditches and sluices they left are now part of the World Heritage Site that includes the abbey. A walk here lets you see the other half of the monastery, the working landscape that fed the brothers, rather than the stone church and cloister that visitors usually come for.
Around the water you find willows, alders and reed fringes, with dragonflies skimming the surface in summer and herons standing at the edges. In winter the trees are bare and the sky is the colour of pewter, and the pond often freezes, which has a stark beauty of its own. The ride there is gentle, through woodland and past vineyards, on quiet lanes with good surface and easy corners.
Maulbronn has fuel, a bakery and a handful of restaurants, and it is only a few minutes away. A large Swabian lunch is hard to resist: try the local Maultaschen, or a plate of Zwiebelrostbraten, roast beef with fried onions, with a glass of the red from the surrounding hills. For anything more specialised, Mühlacker and Bretten are not far.
Early morning is best, when mist still lies on the water and the village is quiet. This pond is paired with Ödenahlen, a nearby hamlet in the same wooded hills, so it works nicely as the first stop on a short loop.