On 14 October 1893 the waterfall ran for the first time on trial. Gas motors in a neighbouring machine house (now the venue hall of the restaurant in the Villa Kreuzberg, the former engineer's home, an ensemble built 1892-1893 by Hermann Blankenstein) pumped up the water. Since summer 1894 per minute are cascading the down to the small lower pond. Between 1898 and the First World War the waterfall was electrically illuminated at night shining in light resembling Bengal fire. However, the operation of the waterfall was interrupted between 1914 and 1935, and again 1938 and 1961. On the occasion of the festive days firemen reflooded the idle waterfall for one day (19 August 1955) by pumping the water uphill with their fire fighting devices replacing the war-ravaged pumphouse.