Hürtgenwald (forest)
The Hürtgenwald is about 20 km long, mostly forested and up to 586.37 m above sea level. NHN high ridge 15 km southeast of Aachen in the Aachen city region and in the Düren district in North Rhine-Westphalia ( Germany ).
Geographical location
The Hürtgenwald is located in the North Eifel Nature Park , the northern part of the cross-border German- Belgian Nature Park Hohes Venn-Eifel . It is located in the square of the villages of Eschweiler in the north, Düren in the northeast, Simmerath in the south and Roetgen in the southwest. The municipality of Hürtgenwald lies - including the district of Hürtgen - east of its main ridge.
The Hurtgenwald rises to the southwest where it around 640 m SSW of long-lap ( 583.1 m ) on a nameless cap ( ⊙ ) next to a property in the forest water tank with 586.37 m reaches its highest point; thus the ridge rises about 400 m above its foreland. The altitude of the above-mentioned water reservoir is marked on topographic maps of 587.34 m , which may not represent the highest point in the Hürtgen Forest, but that of the reservoir . The federal highway 399 , which runs past the container, reaches its apex near the container at a height of 585.2 m . The highest point in its northern part is the 371.1 m high Katzenknipp .
Above-ground runoff from the Hürtgenwald mainly takes place in a northerly direction via the Wehebach , which is dammed up by the northeastern Wehebach dam and flows into the Inde at Lamersdorf . The Dreilägerbach, which flows in its southwest part through the Dreilägerbachtalsperre , also flows over the Vichtbach into the Inde. The forest is thus in the catchment area of the Meuse .
climate
The Hürtgen Forest receives high amounts of precipitation from the Atlantic deep foothills that are approaching from the west . The mean annual precipitation is between 800 mm in the northeast and 1,000 mm in the higher southwest.
geology
The near-surface geological subsurface of the Hürtgenwald consists mainly of Devonian sandstones , claystones and greywacke as well as carbonaceous slates .
history
The Hürtgenwald was part of the defense line of the west wall . He became known during the Second World War through the battle in the Hürtgenwald in November 1944, which lasted until February 1945. This claimed thousands of lives on both sides. To commemorate the devastating battles, the Hürtgenwald March has been held every year since 1983 on the second Saturday in October , organized by Bundeswehr reservists and often attended by many civilians.
vegetation
The mountain range of the Hürtgenwald is predominantly forested. The main tree species is the spruce , which does not naturally occur there. Because of the extensive destruction of forests by the fighting in World War II, but also because of extensive reparation blows , large areas were afforested from the 1960s. Most of the forests in the Hürtgen Forest are therefore no more than 50 years old. Initially, only the fast-growing spruce was available for reforestation . With the shift in forest policy in North Rhine-Westphalia towards near-natural forest management , from the 1990s on, mainly hardwood and especially red beech were reforested. Red beech forests represent potential natural vegetation in almost all locations of the Hürtgen Forest . The common beech finds optimal growth conditions under the given high rainfall. The vigor is shown, for example, in the fact that it can be used in open land for planting hedges and cut back several times without shrinking. In the open country and in the villages on the edge of the Hürtgen Forest, numerous old and tall beeches characterize the landscape. The copper beech, which tolerates a cooler climate, has displaced the warmth- loving summer linden tree, which characterizes the village image in lower areas.
Economic use
The "Forst Hürtgenwald" has a total forest area of 300 km² and is located in the area of both the district of Düren and the district of Aachen. It was identical to the former Hürtgenwald forestry district , which was made up of private, communal and state forests. The "Staatsforst Hürtgenwald" is 110 km². The owner is the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, represented by the Rureifel-Jülicher Börde Regional Forestry Office of the North Rhine-Westphalia Forest and Wood Agency. The approximately 90 to 100 km² core area of the state forest lies between Wehebachtalsperre and Dreilägerbachtalsperre. Both dams are affiliated to the Eifel-Rur water association and supply the Aachen area with drinking water.
There are several sawmills in the villages on the western slope of the Hürtgenwald. The wood processing industry has its traditional place there. The location was characterized by the abundance of wood in the forest area and the possibility of using water power at the foot of the ridge. The many streams with permanent water flow enabled the settlement of sawmills.
tourism
The Hürtgenwald is part of the North Eifel Nature Park . One of the sights in its northern part is the ruins of the Schwarzenbroich monastery . In many places there are wide views of the Cologne Bay and the Zülpicher Börde .
The Hürtgenwald itself is accessible through numerous hiking trails. An educational forest trail managed by a specially founded association provides information on the forest history of the northern Eifel on several boards. It is the oldest educational trail in the North Eifel Nature Park and leads through the Gieschbach and Solchbach valleys near Zweifall . The path is part of the "Moor Route", the German-Belgian cycle and hiking trail through the cross-border nature park. You can also ride a bike on forest roads.
Transport links
The federal highways 264 in the north and north-east, 399 in the east and south-east and 258 in the south-west and west lead past the Hürtgenwald. From these roads, several state roads branch off through the forest area .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Topographical Information Management, Cologne District Government, Department GEObasis NRW ( information )
- ↑ Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information )
Web links
- Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW
- Rureifel-Jülicher Börde regional forest office
- Website of the municipality of Hürtgenwald
Coordinates: 50 ° 39 ′ 40 ″ N , 6 ° 17 ′ 1.7 ″ E