Gypsum karst landscape Heimkehle

Coordinates: 51 ° 29 ′ 48 ″  N , 10 ° 57 ′ 16 ″  E

Gypsum karst landscape Heimkehle​

Saxony-Anhalt

The Heimkehle gypsum karst landscape is a nature reserve in the municipality of Südharz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt .

The nature reserve with the registration number NSG 0160 is around 66  hectares in size. It is part of the FFH area "Alter Stolberg and Heimkehle in the southern Harz". To the east it borders largely to the natural preserve "resin and Vorländer" westward to the in Thuringia lying landscape conservation area "Alter Stolberg". The area has been under protection since 1995 (date of regulation: August 28, 1995). The responsible lower nature conservation authority is the district of Mansfeld-Südharz.

The nature reserve, which consists of two sub-areas, is located east of Nordhausen on the border between Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia on the edge of the Biosphere Reserve Karstlandschaft Südharz and the Harz / Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park . It represents an area in the southern Harz Zechsteingürtel with a variety of significant karst phenomena on the eastern flank of the Old Stolberg and the edges of the Thyra - Breakthrough valley under protection. The steep slopes on the eastern flank of the Old Stolberg are mainly exposed to the north and east. In the area are gullies , sinkholes , source wells , sinkholes and sink-holes to find. The Heimkehle , a plaster cave in the Reesberg, lies on the edge of the nature reserve. Part of the floodplain of the Thyra is included in the nature reserve. 21 hectares of the nature reserve are left to natural development as a total reserve.

Near-natural forest stands in the nature reserve. In the north, sedge and hornbeam and red beech forests dominate . They only have a poorly developed layer of shrubs and herbs . On the middle and upper slopes in the middle part of the protected area, forest rennet, sessile oak and hornbeam forests grow with winter linden , field maple and service tree . In the gappy herb layer grow u. a. Liverwort , Märzenbecher , hazel root , lily of the valley , forest rennet , single-flowered pearl grass , forest equestrian grass and whitish grove . Ash and sycamore canyon forests grow thick in damp channels and sinkholes . Here are e.g. B. Lungwort , ground elder and yellow monkshood can be found in the herb layer. In addition, spruce , larch and birch stands can be found in the nature reserve . The Thyra-Aue area is characterized by grassland , the adjacent valley meadow "Am Knie", which was rewetted in 1994, is primarily characterized by wet meadows and reeds .

The nature reserve is a habitat for numerous species of birds . Over 80 species of breeding birds have been found here , including the middle woodpecker in wooded areas and wryneck and red-backed shrimp in semi-open areas. The caves , especially the Heimkehle as the largest known bat winter roost in the Harz Mountains , are of great importance as winter quarters for bats , including pug bat , great mouse -eared bat , Bechstein 's bat and as swarming quarters for northern bat , great and small bearded bat , water bat , fringed long-eared bat and brown bat , many of them Species that also use the caves as winter quarters.

Also, pine marten , dormouse , badger and wildcat are found in the nature reserve. Furthermore, various are amphibians , including salamanders , newts , Obstetrician and natterjack toads and reptiles , including adders , ringed and grass snake , slow worm and several species of lizards in the nature reserve home. The meadows in the nature reserve are home to a species-rich grasshopper - as well as a very species-rich moth fauna .

Part of the southern Harz karst hiking trail runs along the edge of the nature reserve . Further wooded areas, but also agricultural areas, adjoin the nature reserve .

Web links

Commons : Heimkehle Gypsum Karst Nature Reserve  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Gypsum karst landscape Heimkehle , State Administration Office Saxony-Anhalt

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Location Thyratal , Karst hiking trail Südharz. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
2. ↑ Heimkehle cave , southern Harz karst hiking trail. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
3. ↑ Maintenance and development plans for the NSG “Gipskarstlandschaft Heimkehle” and “Alter Stolberg (Saxony-Anhalt) and Grasburger Wiesen” , RANA - Office for Ecology and Nature Conservation Frank Meyer. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
4. ↑ The animal and plant species according to Appendix IV of the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive in the State of Saxony-Anhalt , Nature Conservation in the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Volume 41 (2004), special issue, State Office for Environmental Protection Saxony-Anhalt (PDF file, 6.7 MB). Retrieved May 23, 2014.
5. ↑ Management plan for the "Heimkehle" in the FFH area "Alter Stolberg and Heimkehle in the southern Harz" , State Office for Environmental Protection Saxony-Anhalt, March 2013 (PDF file, 8.7 MB). Retrieved April 18, 2016.
6. ↑ Map Uftrungen , Karst hiking trail Südharz. Retrieved May 23, 2014.