Eichkogel
| Eichkogel | ||
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 Eichkogel, in the background Hermannskogel and Kahlenberg |
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| height | 367 m above sea level A. | |
| location | Lower Austria | |
| Mountains | Vienna Woods | |
| Dominance | 1.24 km → Sulzwiese | |
| Notch height | 55 m ↓ house on the wine route | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 3 '45 " N , 16 ° 17' 33" E | |
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The Eichkogel is a 367 m high hill located a little south of Mödling in Lower Austria and is under nature protection.
Climate and geology
As a dry grassland area, the Eichkogel is not unique in Austria, but its geological and climatic peculiarities allow a wide variety of species to flourish. The Pannonian-Pontic and Atlantic climatic zones intersect directly at the Eichkogel area . The specific microclimate, in connection with the substrate, offers favorable conditions for a mesophilic plant community with xerothermal bushes and stands of downy oak and black pine. The continentally shaped Eichkogel thus connects the eastern edge of the Alps with further subcontinental plains. The Eichkogel was probably formed from two freshwater limestone slabs that were formed in the Young Tertiary and protected the clayey sands underneath from being eroded. Due to these conditions, the formation of the distinctive cone shape was made possible.
ecology
Today the Eichkogel is populated by an abundance of different vegetation communities. Different dry meadows, dry grasslands, fringes, bushes and forests can be found, which merge into one another and thus create an interlinking. In addition to the many different stages of succession and forms of use, this is another characteristic of the Eichkogel. The natural succession on the Eichkogel is slowed down by extreme site conditions in places as well as lush herbaceous growth and dense litter, but would still lead to overgrowth with wood, not least due to aeolian nutrient input.
A plant that is particularly successful and characteristic of propagation via root brood is the dwarf moss ( Prunus fruticosa) with its hybrids. While the south side is dominated by afforested black pines and a downy oak steppe forest, one encounters a lush fringing society on the north side. These are dominated by relatively tall perennials, which were gradually able to spread by not using the adjacent areas. Examples of such members of a fringing society are various elephant species as well as deer root and blood-red cranesbill. On the other hand, various stand-forming grasses alternate at the transitions to trimmed dry meadows and semi-arid lawns.
Characteristic plant species in spring are iris pumila , adonis and daffodils. However, due to a strong matting of the lawn, numerical declines in the Iris pumila population can be observed. Another typical feature of the Eichkogel are signs of previous interventions, disturbances and uses, which are particularly evident from the remains of concrete on the north terrace. These turned out to be particularly important factors in the special microclimates that exist on the Eichkogel. The Eichkogel exerts a magnetic effect on them because of the sand-loess soil, which is particularly attractive for many soil insects. So there are always new species to be admired on the Eichkogel, which only gradually migrate, as an example you can take various owl butterfly varieties and the sand wasp specialized in this . It is important to preserve the Eichkogel as Austria's most important gathering point for endangered species in terms of biodiversity . The insect species native to here have sophisticated chemical senses and mechanisms as well as unique survival strategies. The Eichkogel must be regarded as the main occurrence area for many animal species, especially Pontic species. Forty to fifty species are found here for more than ten percent of the world population. This is made possible by the fact that the Eichkogel houses a wide variety of ecological niches and living spaces in a very small space.
history
First recorded agricultural use is dated to 5600 BC. Dated. It is assumed that farmers from the south-east settled in the area of today's Mödling and Guntramsdorf. One can assume that the area has been exposed to such constant settlement since then. From historical records of the last hundred years it can be reconstructed that the Eichkogel was originally covered by a dense oak forest that was gradually cut down, and that the Eichkogel was therefore available for agricultural use. Quarries were also built on the eastern and southern edges of the mountain. In the last phase of use, grazing with cattle was characteristic, viticulture is still practiced today.
During the Second World War, an anti-aircraft battery was placed on the north side of the mountain (5th battery / heavy flaka division 533), which was assigned to the outer flak ring of Vienna from 1943 to 1945 and between April 2 and 5, 1945 also in the ground fighting around Gumpoldskirchen and Guntramsdorf intervened. The protective walls of the guns were only removed after the turn of the millennium. - On October 4, 1942, on the Eichkogel the 15,000 people attended the first Thanksgiving in Vienna took place, in which the Deputy Gauleiter Karl Scharizer (1901-1956) selected after receiving the winemaker Crown representative of the state of farmers, gardeners and farm workers with the Military Cross decorated .
The protection of the Eichkogel was gradually implemented. In 1960 the partial nature reserve was declared, which was expanded in 1991. These measures resulted in an end to ecologically important grazing. Now higher plant species could grow again unhindered and the predominant species could overgrow. As an unavoidable consequence, the Eichkogel would have turned back into a forest area, soil plants that were weak in competition would have been displaced, the typical fauna would have migrated. Various maintenance measures, including by the Schöffel Association, have been initiated to keep the vegetation in its special shape. An obstacle to a quick solution was initially the fact that the Eichkogel has a wide variety of interests, which is proven by the fact that there are over 100 owners. Often there is disagreement between the owners, which has already led to the destruction of some areas by the intervention of the winegrowers. The above mentioned dwarf softsel hybrids represent a particular danger. They occur in many dry grass areas in Austria, but only threaten the dry grass areas on the Eichkogel with extensive vegetation.
Maintenance measures
The Lower Austrian Mountain and Nature Guard, local group Föhrenberge-Mödling and Wienerwald Southeast, has been looking after and monitoring the nature reserve since 1970.
After a short, rather moderate use of mountain sheep to combat dwarf curdles and other species that endanger the dry grassland, the Eichkogel is now looked after at some points by students from the BG Bachgasse Mödling , who are responsible for the population of hybrid sour cherries cut back in laborious manual work. Several school classes take part in these measures every year. However, this does not succeed in pushing back the very extensive, species-poor hybrid Vistula stands in favor of the dry grassland.
In order to preserve the remaining dry grass and to prevent further matting, small areas were grazed with cattle (Waldviertler Blondvieh) and Carinthian spectacled sheep for several years . Krainer Steinschafe are currently active on the Eichkogel.
Overall, the nature conservation status of the Eichkogel has deteriorated significantly from the 1960s to the 2000s due to the lack of grazing, and there is still a great need for action in order to preserve the rarities of the area from flora and fauna.
literature
- Felix Karrer : The Eichkogel near Mödling . In: Yearbook of the Imperial and Royal Geological Institute . Volume 1859.1, Volume X, ZDB -ID 217948-9 . Braumüller, Vienna 1859, pp. 25-29. - Full text online .
- Heinrich Küpper , A. Papp, EJ Zirkl: On the knowledge of the Alpine breakup on the western edge of the Vienna basin . Yearbook of the Federal Geological Institute. 94th Volume Part 1, Vienna 1951. Pages 47ff. ( PDF ; 3.3 MB)
Individual evidence
- ^ The festival of community on the Eichkogel. 15,000 Viennese at Vienna's first harvest festival. In: Neuigkeits -Welt-Blatt , No. 235/1942, October 6, 1942, p. 4, top right. (Online at ANNO ).
- ^ Roland Berger (ed.), Friedrich Ehrendorfer (ed.): Ecosystem Vienna. The natural history of a city . Vienna Environmental Studies, Volume 2, ZDB -ID 2211267-4 . Böhlau, Vienna (among others) 2011, ISBN 978-3-205-77420-4 . - Table of contents online (PDF) .
