Entenkoy

Did the ducks of Entenkoy ever imagine their tranquil pond held such a royal secret? Here at Entenkoy, in the heart of Karlsruhe’s seemingly unassuming Elfmorgenbruch, lies a story of feathered deception and princely amusement. Entenkoy, meaning “duck decoy,” wasn’t just a picturesque pond. It was a meticulously designed, centuries-old duck trap, a unique spectacle enjoyed by commoners and royalty alike. A Karlsruhe guidebook from 1815 recounts how trained decoy ducks lured their wild brethren to a watery ambush, becoming “prey to the duck catchers”. Imagine the scene: Markgraf Karl Friedrich, in 1762, found this spectacle so diverting that he upgraded the Entenkoy lodge, adding a spacious “Herrschaftszimmer,” a lordly room for relaxation and perhaps a feast of roast duck after the show. Entenkoy wasn’t solely for entertainment. It served a practical purpose, supplying the kitchens of Durlach and later Karlsruhe’s palaces with a steady flow of poultry and valuable down feathers. During its peak in the mid-18th century, Entenkoy yielded over 200 ducks per week. This elaborate system of ditches, nets, and screens might seem excessive for catching ducks, but it involved a clever strategy. To avoid spooking the wary birds, noisy firearms were out of the question. Instead, a more cunning approach was used. The duck catcher, concealed behind reed screens, would lure the birds into the narrow, net-covered channels with tempting bait. Then, with a sudden appearance, the catcher would herd the ducks into a waiting net. Entenkoy’s story began in the 1580s under Markgraf Ernst Friedrich, inherited from his father Karl. It thrived after the Thirty Years’ War, when Durlach provided eleven Morgen (about seven acres) of meadow for the Entenkoy, the area later becoming the wooded area you see today. The decoy system fell into disuse in the 19th century as suitable wetlands dwindled, and the duck catching officially ceased in 1867. The lodge was auctioned off, and the land eventually returned to Durlach in 1883. While the lodge is gone, traces of Entenkoy remain. Look for boundary stones with the Baden coat of arms from 1826, remnants of the ditches, and the curved shape of a former catching channel. The raised banks of the pond are still visible. Perhaps, you might even glimpse some wild ducks enjoying the tranquil waters, unknowingly echoing the history of Entenkoy.