Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg

	Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
	View over Rambach to the Kreutzerberg. (In the picture on the left the Eschenberg.)
location	In the North Hessian Werra-Meißner district , along the state border with Thuringia .
surface	209.38 hectares
Identifier	1636036
WDPA ID	318304
Geographical location	51 ° 6 ' N , 10 ° 9' E Coordinates: 51 ° 6 '2 " N , 10 ° 9' 11" E
Sea level	from 320 m to 478 m
Setup date	1998
particularities	Special protection as a nature reserve and part of a Natura 2000 area.

Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg are the eponymous mountains of a nature reserve in the North Hessian Werra-Meißner district , which extends along the state border with Thuringia . The mountains, characterized by steep slopes, rocks and landslides, have near-natural beech forests, rock corridors, wet meadows and extensively managed open land areas. Classified as nationally important for the protection of endangered animal and plant species of the beech forests, the area was declared a nature reserve in spring 1998 and later, as a sub-area of the flora-fauna-habitat area "Kalkberge bei Röhrda and Weißenborn", in the Europe-wide network anchored by " Natura 2000 " protected areas . Of particular interest for nature conservation are the areas as a place of growth for rare plant communities that have a great floristic wealth.

location

The nature reserve is located in the districts of Rambach , a district of the community Weißenborn and Rittmannshausen , a district of the community Ringgau in the Werra-Meißner district . By belonging to Thuringia Heldrastein and the west bordering Graburg the area forms the northern slope of the Ringgaus .

The protected area extends from the Dreiherrenstein ( 478 m ) in the north , across the Schöddel valley, south and west to Eichenberg ( 450 m ), Eschenberg ( 450 m ), the summit of which is in Thuringia, Sauberg ( 422 m ) and Kreutzerberg ( 450 m ) to the slopes of the Stückberg in the west. The area of the Rambacher Sandgrube, a former sand-lime stone pit northeast of the municipality of Rambach, was integrated into the nature reserve.

The reserve belongs to the " Geo-Naturpark Frau-Holle-Land ". In terms of natural space , it is assigned to the “ Northwestern edge plates of the Thuringian Basin ” as a sub-unit called “Northern Ringgau” . To the north, the area merges into the " Schlierbachswald " sub-unit of the " Fulda-Werra-Bergland ", which is part of the main unit group of the " Osthessisches Bergland ".

geology

The Ringgau belongs to the western foothills of the Muschelkalkplatten that surround the Thuringian Basin . These stretch from northwest Thuringia to Hesse. The Werra once separated the Ringgau from its original rock formation and with it created a witness mountain , which is cut in its center by a tectonic rift valley. The elongated "Netra-Ifta Valley", in which the Netra flows to the Sontra in the west and the Ifta to the Werra in the east , divides the Ringgau into a northern and southern area.

The Muschelkalk of the Ringgau originated from the deposits of a shallow sea more than two hundred million years ago. During the Mesozoic period , the region was covered by a tropical to subtropical marginal sea . In the over-salted water, only a relatively species-poor, soft-bottom fauna dominated by mussels could exist. The Upper and Lower Wavy Limestone together formed thick-banked rock layers in the Lower Muschelkalk . The strata and steep slopes are built from these rocks. The shell limestone is covered by clay layers of the Upper Buntsandstein , in which there are also gypsum deposits . These layers absorb rain or condensation from the fissured limestone , especially in times of heavy rainfall, and can become mushy and flowable when moist. The subsoil under the limestone then becomes unstable and large areas of rock peel off. The distinctive rocky areas of the mountains are such demolition areas of the shell limestone clod.

Cultural and historical significance

With the Kolonnenweg and the deforested strip of land up to a hundred meters wide, relics of the former inner-German border are still present. The summit of the Eschenberg (in the background) is in Thuringia.

The area was almost always borderland. On the Dreiherrenstein, the steep foothills of the Heldrastein, domains came together that changed names and owners over the centuries. A border stone that has still been preserved bears the engraved initials and coats of arms of three former German states, whose borders met on the Dreiherrenstein: KH and Hessian lion for the Electorate of Hesse , KP and Prussian eagle for the Kingdom of Prussia and SWE and Saxon coat of arms for the Grand Duchy of Saxony Weimar-Eisenach .

A memorial stone on the Dreiherrenstein also commemorates the former inner-German border , which was also the “ iron curtain ” between the power blocs of the Warsaw Pact and NATO . Contemporary evidence of the German-German border history is present with the former column path and the relics that are still there.

A sandstone deposit has been exploited in the Rambach sand pit since the Middle Ages. The crushed material was sold nationwide as scouring sand or house litter. The sand was poured on the wooden floorboards and when it was brushed it took the dirt with it. With the advent of chemical cleaners that outperformed abrasive sand, mining became unprofitable and abandoned.

The sanctuary

Woods

Dead wood in the forest on Dreiherrenstein.

The largest part of the protected area is made up of beech forests, which have been managed naturally for a long time. Only trees that have a certain minimum diameter are removed from the stocks in order to further process them as high-quality trunk wood in the sawmill and veneer industry . The beech trees dominate the forests , and ash trees and sycamore maples can also be found regularly. There are also some common oak , bird cherry , summer linden , sycamore elm , norway maple and field maple . The comparatively high number of service berries in parts of the former coppice forests is seen as particularly striking. The areal occurrence of the yew tree in the area of the limestone rocks and broken edges is also rated as a special feature . The older beech stands in the area are usually built up in two or more layers. Areas of a single-layer, hall-like character do not occur in any appreciable size.

The forest areas are privately and communally owned, almost half belong to the State of Hesse. The Wehretal Forestry Office is responsible for maintenance and development measures and also largely looks after private and communal forests. In the area of the nature reserve, the ordinances stipulate that forests should be kept close to nature and should be converted into a permanent forest-like state in the long term . The unspoiled mess is supposed to create a mosaic with native deciduous trees of all ages. The conservation guideline of Hessen-Forst also provides an extensive network of trees with caves, Astabbrüchen or console fungi which act as the habitat trees old and dead wood inhabitants can offer habitats.

vegetation

The three blue grass slopes that populate the steep upper slopes of the Eschenberg and the Dreiherrenstein are a special feature of Hesse . These naturally formed areas are home to a diverse mix of sub-Mediterranean , sub-continental and pre-alpine plant species. All three of the societies belonging to the so-called “steppe heath” are considered to be very old and original. Some of the pre-Alpine species are likely to have penetrated this far in the Ice Age, while the sub-Mediterranean and continental species found access in the warm periods of the Late and Post-Ice Age. These societies, which contain relics from prehistoric times, are said to occur in Hessen only in the Werra area. The limestone slopes of the Werraland are also given importance by plants that reach the north to north-west limits of their natural distribution here . They include Kalkaster , Erd-Sedge , Berg-Kronwicke and Scheiden-Kronwicke .

The large number of different orchid species that grow on the base-rich soils of the limestone grasslands and limestone beech forests is considered exceptional. They also justify the special need for protection. Are represented in the region: White and Red helleborine , spotted and Marsh Orchid , Red Brown , Broad , Kleinblättrige- , marsh and Violet Helleborine , mosquito Händelwurz , Nestwurz , fly orchid , Handsome , pale and purple orchid , White and Greenish butterfly orchid .

Among the floristic Features also include wood anemone , anthericum liliago , yellow and bird's-foot Sedge , True centaury , arable Larkspur , Abbiss hawksbeard , Meadow Eyebright , Frans Enzian , German Enzian , liverwort , Willow Elecampane , Turk's cap lily , Weinbergs- Grape hyacinth and other rare and protected plant species.

fauna

Protected breeding birds, which have their characteristic habitat in the protected area, are the barn owl , eagle owl , middle , black and gray woodpecker , red backed killer and curly pipit . They belong to the species listed in Appendix I of the European Birds Directive , for the protection of which special measures must be taken because they are regarded as threatened with extinction due to low populations, small areas of distribution or due to their special habitat requirements. Other notable breeding birds Linnet , hollow , Turtel- and wood pigeon , raven , jackdaw , shrike , wheatear , woodcock , Whitethroat , blackbird , singing , juniper and Mistle Thrush .

According to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive , the bat species great mouse- eared bat and lesser horseshoe bat , which have their habitats in the protected area, belong to the "animal and plant species of Community interest" that must be strictly protected. The population of the lesser horseshoe bat has been using an artificial tunnel in the Rambach sand pit as winter quarters for several years. The noctule bat , brown long-eared bat and water bat belong to the endangered and therefore worthy of protection species that live in the area .

Of the twenty or so documented butterflies , the swallowtail , imperial mantle , large schiller butterfly , small kingfisher , mourning mantle , forest devil and wall fox are among the species on the “ Red List ” of Hesse that are endangered or whose numbers have already declined noticeably.

Protected position

Nature reserve

The west side of the Eschenberg with the distinctive, widely visible rock areas.

With the ordinance of the Upper Nature Conservation Authority at the Kassel Regional Council of February 9, 1998, which came into force the day after the announcement in the Hessian State Gazette on March 2, 1998, the forest areas in the area of the Dreiherrenstein, Eschenberg, Kreutzerberg and Stückberg were declared a nature reserve. The protection goal was "to preserve a forest community that is typical for the landscape and in many areas close to nature" in order to "preserve the warmth-loving plant communities that occur in the area, some of which are rare and endangered." The orchards and grassland areas at the edge of the forests were classified as " Habitat of many, sometimes endangered and rare plant and animal species ”integrated into the nature reserve. The nature reserve is 209.38 hectares, has the national identification 1636036 and the WDPA code 318304.

Fauna-flora habitat area

With the grave castle adjoining to the west and the area around the 488.2 m high slate in the west of the grave castle , the nature reserve "Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg" forms the fauna-flora-habitat area "Kalkberge bei Röhrda and Weißenborn". The establishment of the area boundaries and the conservation objectives took place with the "Ordinance on the Natura 2000 areas in Hesse" of January 16, 2008. In the Natura 2000 protected area system , the FFH area with a size of 634.5 hectares has the number 4826 -305 and the WDPA code 555520190.

The great biological diversity of the Natura 2000 area shows the occurrence of twelve habitat types that are considered to be of Community interest and for whose conservation special protected areas must be designated. Three of these habitat types have been given priority, which means that they are threatened with extinction and that there is a special responsibility for their conservation. The occurrence of the bat species great mouse- eared bat and lesser horseshoe bat as well as the orchid lady's slipper was also decisive for the designation of the FFH area . According to Annex II of the Habitats Directive, they are severely endangered and strictly protected species for which special protected areas must also be designated.

Green band

To the east of the “Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg” nature reserve, the Thuringian nature reserve and Natura 2000 area “ Mertelstal - Heldrastein ” is directly adjacent. Here, too, the protective purpose is to preserve the near-natural beech forests and the demolition walls created by landslides as a habitat for rare animals and plants. Both areas are considered to be an important part of the “ Green Belt ” biotope network . With the designation by the Thuringian state parliament on November 9, 2018 as a national natural monument , a uniform protection of special parts of the landscape and culturally and historically significant areas along the former inner-German border became possible.

Tourist development

Art on the hiking trail: "Man in Balance" by Cornelia Brader (Memmingen).

The protected area can be accessed via commercial and hiking trails from Rambach, Rittmannshausen and Heldra .
The long-distance hiking trails "Hessenweg 8" of the hiking association Hessen, X8, also called " Barbarossaweg " and " Path of German Unity " lead over the entire ridge on the same path . The “ Ars Natura ” art hiking trail, which with its open-air gallery aims to combine relaxation through hiking and an intense artistic experience, also runs along this route.
These stages can begin from the Rambach forest car park on Landesstraße 3300 from Rambach to Rittmannshausen and end at Dreiherren- or Heldrastein.

literature

Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature reserves in Hessen, protect-experience-maintain. Volume 3, Werra-Meißner district and Hersfeld-Rotenburg district . cognitio Verlag, Niedenstein 2005, ISBN 3-932583-13-2 .
Paul Krämer and Gerlinde Straka,: Basic data acquisition on the FFH area "Kalkberge bei Röhrda and Weißenborn" . Planning Office for Nature Conservation and Forests (PNW), Arnstadt 2006.

Web links

Commons : "Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg" nature reserve - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg nature reserve - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Sieglinde and Lothar Nitsche: Nature reserves in the Werra-Meißner district. In nature reserves in Hessen, protect-experience-care. Volume 3, p. 113 f.

↑ Classification of natural areas according to Otto Klausing. In: Environmental Atlas Hessen; accessed on June 12, 2020.

↑ Marcus Schmidt: Rockslides and landslides. In: Nature reserves in Hessen, protect-experience-maintain. Volume 3. P. 23 f.

↑ Adalbert Schraft: GeoTouren in Hesse - Geological walks through the most beautiful regions of Hesse. Volume 3 - East Hessian Buntsandstein-Bergland and Werra-Meißner-Bergland.

↑ Information from the text of the memorial stone.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Paul Krämer and Gerlinde Straka: Basic data collection on the FFH area "Kalkberge bei Röhrda and Weißenborn". Client: Kassel Regional Council, processing period: May to November 2003 and May to December 2006.

↑ Action plan as part of the management plan in the FFH area "Kalkberge bei Röhrda and Weißenborn".

↑ ^a ^b Sieglinde and Lothar Nitsche: Rare, protected and endangered species in the larger NSG of the Muschelkalk areas. In: Nature Reserves in Hessen, Volume 3. P. 110 f.

↑ List of the species occurring in Germany in Appendix II of the Fauna Flora Habitat Directive. In: Germany's nature ; accessed on June 12, 2020.

^ Red list of butterflies in Hesse . In: Nature Conservation Information System of the State of Hesse “Natureg-Viewer”; accessed on June 12, 2020.

^ Ordinance on the "Dreiherrenstein-Eschenberg-Kreutzerberg" nature reserve of February 9, 1998. In: State Gazette for the State of Hesse, edition 9/98 of March 2, 1998, p. 678 f.