Erkenbergwasen

The Erkenbergwasen is with regulation of the Regional Council of Stuttgart being trained by March 2, 1979 Nature Reserve (NSG number 1072) on the territory of the municipality Neidlingen in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg .

The Erkenberg, which was formerly also called Merkenberg, is a Zeugenberg and rises northeast of Neidlingen in the Neidlinger valley of the same name. It jumps out to the west like a peninsula and is only connected to the Alb plateau by a narrow ridge. On the Erkenberg, outside of the protected area, are the two fortifications Merkenberg and Windeck . The 15.7 hectare (ha) nature reserve, which consists of two parts, is located in the transition area between the White and Brown Jura on the southern slope of the Erkenberg and is climatically favored by its sheltered location. It belongs to the natural area of ​​the Middle Kuppenalb .

The protection of the Erkenbergwasen was necessary because the preservation of a species can be better guaranteed in a larger area. Another reason was that around 1955 the grazing of the Erkenberg, which had been practiced for centuries, ceased and the area quickly became overgrown. At the end of the 19th century, the Erkenberg was almost unwooded, today the proportion of forest in the nature reserve is 42 percent. The purpose of protection is the typical semi-arid grassland community that developed on the limestone-rich subsoil of the White Jura as a result of extensive use. On the Erkenbergwasen, the pasque flower ( Anemone pulsatilla ), fly and bee garlic ( Ophrys insectifera and Ophrys apifera ), mosquito and fragrant handelwort ( Gymnadenia conopsea and Gymnadenia odoratissima ), pyramidal dogwort ( anamidalacis ), Fringed and German gentian ( Gentiana cilitiata and Gentiana germanica ) and the silver thistle ( Carlina acaulis ). The occurrence of the pyramid dogwort, a species of orchid, should be particularly emphasized, as this is primarily endangered with only a small occurrence.

See also

• List of nature reserves in Baden-Württemberg
• List of nature reserves in the Esslingen district

literature

• Reinhard Wolf , Ulrike Kreh (Hrsg.): The nature reserves in the Stuttgart administrative region . Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2007, ISBN 978-3-7995-5176-2 , pp. 455-456.

Web links

Commons : Erkenbergwasen nature reserve  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Profile of the nature reserve in the LUBW's list of protected areas

Coordinates: 48 ° 35 ′ 13 "  N , 9 ° 34 ′ 12.4"  E