High Fläming Nature Park
| High Fläming Nature Park | |||
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| Location: | Brandenburg , Germany | ||
| Specialty: | Uncut forests, Flämingbach, Belziger landscape meadows | ||
| Next city: | Bad Belzig | ||
| Surface: | 827 km² | ||
| Founding: | November 28, 1997 | ||
| Address: | Nature Park Center Brennereiweg 45 |
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The High Fläming Nature Park , with its 827 square kilometers, the third largest major reserve in the state of Brandenburg . The Hohe Fläming was declared a nature park on November 28, 1997 by an announcement by the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Regional Planning . The state of Brandenburg is responsible for the nature park.
Location and transport links
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The nature park is located in the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark in the southwest of the state of Brandenburg and borders on the Fläming nature park in Saxony-Anhalt, which was declared in 2005 . Important places in the nature park are Bad Belzig , Wiesenburg / Mark and Görzke . Brück , Niemegk , Mörz OT Planetal and Ziesar lie with their center outside the nature park, but parts of the municipality such as the Brücker villages Baitz and Gömnigk extend into the nature park.
The nature park has very good transport links: It is south of the A 2 motorway (Berlin-Hanover) (junctions Ziesar (76), Wollin (77), Brandenburg (78)) and in large parts west of the motorway ( A 9 ) (Berlin -Leipzig). This leads through the nature park (junctions Klein Marzehns and Niemegk). The Berlin-Belzig-Dessau regional train ( Wetzlarer Bahn ) and the federal highways 102 , 107 and 246 also run through the nature park . Federal highway 1 runs to the north and federal highway 2 to the east .
nature
landscape
The nature park is divided into two parts: in the south the hilly and wooded landscape of the Hohen Fläming and in the north the flat lowland landscape of the Belziger landscape meadows . The more than 140,000 year old heights of the Fläming are still part of the old moraines of the Saale glaciation. While the part of Brandenburg further north was covered by ice again in the younger Vistula Ice Age (10,000 to 115,000 BC), the Hohe Fläming remained ice-free. The lowlands of the Belziger Landschaftswiesen, on the other hand, owe their emergence to the melting waters of the Weichsel glaciers. They are already part of the young moraine landscape.
About half of the nature park area is forested, the other half is agricultural land. The constant alternation of forest and field is typical. In some places you come across the original beech forest . There are hardly any lakes and other open waters - apart from a few Söllen and the ponds near Wiesenburg. However, there are numerous streams in the nature park that are among the cleanest in Brandenburg and are therefore very valuable in terms of nature conservation.
With the so-called Rummeln , a form of dry valleys, the Hohe Fläming has a geological and botanical peculiarity.
For the geological and morphological structure as well as the hydrography and the climate, see also the detailed explanations in the main article Fläming .
animals and plants
The Fläming is rich in game ( fallow deer , red deer , raccoon dog and European mouflon ). Particularly noteworthy species in the nature park include the black stork , the great noctule bat , a species of forest bat, and the middle woodpecker , the "heraldic animal" of the nature park. Brown trout , dipper , brown lamprey and crayfish are found in the Fläming River . In the landscape meadows of Belzig there are occurrences of the rare great bustard and the broad-leaved orchid .
Protected areas
Practically the entire nature park area is designated as a landscape protection area. The ordinance on the landscape protection area "Hoher Fläming-Belziger Landschaftswiesen" of November 17, 1997 came into force on December 3, 1997.
There are also nine nature reserves in the nature park . Some of the valuable Fläming streams are under protection (Verlorenwasserbach, Bullenberger Bach, Planetal), and forest and heathland landscapes are also protected (Rabenstein, Spring, Werbiger Heide). Some nature reserves were already designated in GDR times. The following nature reserves (with the date of entry into force) are located in the nature park:
- Bullenberger Bach / Briesener Bach (May 24, 2003)
- Klein Marzehns (May 1, 1961)
- Fläming beech (March 30, 1961)
- Planetal (October 19, 1967)
- Rabenstein (June 20, 1978)
- Spring (March 17, 1986)
- Verlorenwasserbach Oberlauf (May 26, 2005)
- Werbiger Heide (November 19, 1999)
- Belziger Landschaftswiesen (May 24, 2003)
Culture
Castles and Palaces
A special feature are the four medieval castles in Fläming: Burg Eisenhardt in Belzig, Burg Rabenstein , Burg Ziesar and Wiesenburg Castle , which although in its current expression, a neo-Renaissance building, but also goes back to a medieval castle, of which elements are still preserved.
There is a museum in the Bad Belziger Eisenhardt Castle. There is also a hotel in the castle.
Wiesenburg Castle is privately owned and used for residential purposes. The castle tower can be visited and houses the municipality's tourist information office. The castle has a largely landscaped park. The 123 hectare park is considered the most important garden monument between Potsdam and the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm. In 2004 a sculpture garden was organized in the palace gardens.
Ziesar Castle houses a museum on the history of the Christianization of the Mark Brandenburg.
A hostel with a restaurant is housed in Rabenstein Castle. Events such as the medieval spectacle or the Christmas market take place regularly in the castle courtyard.
Historic city centers and lively villages
The historic town centers of Bad Belzig and Ziesar are worth seeing. Both cities are members of the “Cities with historic city centers” working group . Niemegk also has a historic town center with a Renaissance town hall.
In 2011, the municipality of Wiesenburg / Mark was awarded a gold medal in the national competition Our village became the first village in Brandenburg in the history of the competition. In 2001 Dippmannsdorf was awarded a silver medal.
Field stone churches
The medieval stone churches , which are still well preserved in many villages, are typical of Fläming . (see also list of field stone churches in Fläming )
art of high fläming
Artists and other actors in Fläming organize artistic activities in the countryside under the umbrella brand “art land of high fläming”. The forerunner of the initiative was the sculpture park in the Schlosspark Wiesenburg in 2004. In 2006 the first project was the "Art Trail", a 2.5 km long hiking trail with works of art designed by local artists. In the summer of 2007, a 17 km long art hiking trail , which connects the train stations of Bad Belzig and Wiesenburg, was opened with ten works of art. The ten artists whose works were realized had previously prevailed in a nationwide art competition. In May 2010 a 16 km long south route was opened, on which works by artists from Flanders and the Fläming can be seen.
Theater and concerts
There are regular theater performances in summer in the Wiesenburger Park and in the Burghof Ziesar. His works are occasionally performed in Bad Belzig, the birthplace of the composer Carl Gottlieb Reissiger . In summer there are regular concerts in the Bücknitzer Feldsteinkirche. Theatrical city tours are offered in Bad Belzig and Wiesenburg.
Regional development
tourism
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A tourist focus in the Hoher Fläming Nature Park is health tourism . Bad Belzig is a state-approved health resort that has had the addition of "Bad" to its name since 2010, and with the SteinTherme and the rehabilitation clinic, it has a wide range of health tourism options. It is also the declared aim of the nature park, under the motto "Nature Park for Everyone", to be a travel region with the aim of being barrier-free , in which people with disabilities can and should feel comfortable. Asphalted cycle routes are suitable for wheelchairs . In the publication is disabled accessibility represented by tourist destinations.
The European cycle route R1 and the European long-distance hiking route E 11 as well as the German avenue route lead through the nature park, and signposted nature park riding routes, which connect the riding stables in Fläming over 250 km, are available for trail riders.
Nature and culture guides have been trained who offer a wide range of guided tours and other events from herbal hikes to yoga walking.
Festivals
There are a variety of festivals in the nature park. The most important regular events are:
- Good Friday to Easter Monday: Medieval spectacle at Rabenstein Castle
- Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday: Pottery market in Görzke
- May: Flower market in Wiesenburg / Mark
- May: Nature Park Hiking Festival
- Pentecost: bed race in Fredersdorf
- June: Titans of the racetrack (cold blood race in Brück)
- August: Wiesenburger Parkfest, old town summer with castle spectacle in Bad Belzig
- September: Rabenstein autumn and juggler festival
- September / October: 48-hour Fläming and Flämingmarkt at different locations
- December: Christmas markets at Rabenstein Castle, in the nature park center with traditional torchlight procession to Rabenstein Castle and back again, in Bad Belzig, Lühnsdorf and other places
kitchen
The cuisine in Hohen Fläming is down-to-earth and shaped by the landscape. The forests provide game and in autumn mushrooms , especially chestnuts and chanterelles , but also porcini and other tasty edible mushrooms. Another indispensable part of the cuisine in Hohen Fläming is the potato . Several inns have joined forces and designed the “Culinary Potato Tour”. Innovative potato dishes are offered in all participating inns.
Another specialty is the Fläming trout which occurs naturally in the Fläming Rivers, but is also bred in various trout farms.
Also typical of the region is the Klemmkuchen , a waffle-like dessert that the Flemings eat in the 12th and 13th centuries. Century brought with them.
See also: Tourism in Brandenburg
Alternative ways of life and economy
In the nature park there are a number of groups and individuals who try out alternative ways of life and economy. In 1991 a group founded ZEGG GmbH and bought a site in Belzig that was used by the GDR Ministry for State Security until the fall of the Berlin Wall . The ZEGG is a collective of around 80 people who try out new forms of living together.
Also in 1991 the Berlin addiction support organization Synanon acquired Gut Schmerwitz and founded a large addiction support facility there. Due to economic difficulties in the late 1990s, Synanon sold the property in 2000. Most of the agriculture was taken over by the Schoonhoven family, who run a large organic farm there . The addiction aid association "Scarabäus Hoher Fläming eV" has also taken over part of the Schmerwitz estate and operates an addiction aid facility there.
In this environment, several initiatives have developed that implement alternative forms of life and business in various areas.
Nature Park Center Hoher Fläming at the foot of Rabenstein Castle
The nature park center is located in Rabenstein / Fläming in the Raben district in the "old distillery". The old distillery is located in the village of Raben below Rabenstein Castle and has always been associated with it. Built around 1700 as a farm building for the castle, it secured the castle's water supply from 1863 as a pumping station with a horse-powered gopel factory until the Second World War . In the 18th century, schnapps was still distilled here - hence the name old distillery. Remains of the Göpelwerk such as the horse-powered gear and the kettle can still be seen today. After a period of slow decline from 1945 onwards, the historic building was finally restored in 1996 by the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, which also owns the old distillery. In May 1997 the information center started its work. The operator is the Naturparkverein Hoher Fläming e. V.
The nature park exhibition on the upper floor of the nature park center provides information on all aspects of the nature park. There is also tourist information such as maps and leaflets with route recommendations and literature. In the cellar vault of the summer house there is a sale of typical regional products, such as pottery from Görzke, honey, beeswax candles, jams and jellies and fruit brandies. There is also a bike rental in the nature park center. Environmental education events are offered in the nature park workshop. The nature park center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the nature park center, the nature park administration and the nature park association Hoher Fläming e. V. their seat.
Institutions in the nature park
Nature park administration
The state of Brandenburg is responsible for the nature park. That is why it has set up the nature park administration and supports the nature park center financially (institutional funding). The nature park administration is based in the nature park center in Raben and is organizationally assigned to the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment. The tasks of the nature park administration are:
- Nature conservation and landscape planning: FFH area management, preparation and implementation of the maintenance and development plan, preparation of the designation of protected areas, statements on construction projects, specialist and overall planning, biotope maintenance.
- Public relations: press relations, events, internet, creation of publications
- Environmental education: development of concepts, coordination of environmental education actors, construction of environmental education facilities such as nature discovery trails or information boards.
- Nature tourism: Development and implementation of visitor management concepts, creation and advertising of nature tourism offers, advice to tourism stakeholders
- Promotion of sustainable land use in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fishing and water management, hunting: advice and coordination of the actors, contractual nature conservation, development and better marketing of regional products
- Coordination of the nature watch, the service provider for the nature park administration.
Steffen Bohl has been nature park manager since February 2014.
Nature Park Association Hoher Fläming e. V.
The nature park association Hoher Fläming eV is closely connected to the creation and operation of the nature park. This was founded in 1993. It is a non-profit association based in Rabenstein / Fläming, which has around 50 members. Most of the communities in the Hoher Fläming Nature Park are members of the Nature Park Association. The original goal of the association, to support the recognition of the Hohen Fläming region as a nature park, was achieved with the public announcement of the nature park in 1997. Today, the association pursues the goal of promoting environmental protection and monument protection in the nature park and supporting sustainable development in the nature park region.
The Nature Park Association operates the Hoher Fläming Nature Park Center in the "Old Distillery", and it also provides its employees. He also organizes events such as the hike on which the tree of the year is planted or the “somewhat different Christmas market” on the first weekend in Advent. Projects for the sustainable development of the nature park are also carried out, such as the training of nature and culture guides or the "Nature Park for Everyone" project, which has put together and advertised accessible offers for people with disabilities in the nature park. The first chairman of the nature park association is Bernd Schade, managing director Stefan Ratering.
Nature watch
As in all of Brandenburg's major conservation areas, the Brandenburg Nature Guard is represented by 4 nature guards in the Hoher Fläming Nature Park. The NaturSchutzFonds Brandenburg foundation is responsible for the nature watch, and the state of Brandenburg finances the nature watch. The nature watch is based in the Baitz branch of the Brandenburg State Bird Protection Center. The nature guards are service providers for the nature park administration. The tasks of the nature watch are:
- Public relations / environmental education: guided tours, events, project weeks, management of groups for children and young people, creation of information material.
- Visitor management: Visitor information, construction and repair of visitor facilities, path maintenance, setting up signs and boards, marking of protected areas.
- Area control: prevention, instruction, intervention, registration of exceedances, condition checks.
- Species and biotope protection , monitoring: landscape maintenance, measures to set up biotopes , professional support for landscape maintenance work by third parties, practical species protection, support for scientific investigations / monitoring.
- Contractual nature conservation: advice and monitoring of success.
Local action group Fläming-Havel eV
The Fläming-Havel Local Action Group (LAG) was founded in 2001 to prepare the nature park region's application as a LEADER + region. Since the recognition in 2002, the regional office has been supporting rural development in the nature park region under the direction of the regional manager. The Fläming-Havel region was also recognized as a LEADER region for the 2007–2013 funding period. In addition to the European LEADER funding program, LAG Fläming-Havel also coordinates the allocation of funding for integrated rural development on the basis of an area-based local development strategy. LAG Fläming-Havel also supports regional development through its own projects, such as the annual "48-hour Fläming" campaign and the Flämingmarkt.
statistical data
- Total area: 827 km² (100%)
- Nature reserves: 48.8 km² (5.9%)
- Landscape protection areas: 754 km² (91.2%)
- Population: approx. 27,000
- Population density: approx. 30 inhabitants / km² (comparison Berlin: approx. 3,800 inhabitants / km²)
- Agricultural area: 403 km² (49%)
- Forest: 404 km² (49%)
- Water areas: 0.3 km² (0.1%)
