Holy Halls (Saxon Switzerland)

Sacred Halls Nature Reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
Holy halls
location	East of Sebnitz in the Saxon district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains
surface	32.78 ha
Identifier	D 55
WDPA ID	163599
Geographical location	50 ° 58 ′  N , 14 ° 19 ′  E Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 21 ″  N , 14 ° 18 ′ 32 ″  E
Setup date	March 30, 1961
administration	LfULG

The Holy Halls are a nature reserve in the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district . It is located on the northern edge of Saxon Switzerland in the transition to the Lausitzer Bergland east of Sebnitz on the northern slope of the almost 600 meter high Tanečnice (German dance plan ). The nature reserve was designated in 1961 after it had already been temporarily placed under protection in 1958.

Location and geology

The holy halls in the Sebnitz Forest stretch from the state border with the Czech Republic over the steep northern slope of the Tanzplan down to almost the banks of the Sebnitz . Together with the surrounding forest, they form the FFH area “Sebnitzer Wald und Kaiserberg”, to which the neighboring Gimpelfang nature reserve also belongs to the west . This primarily protects the FFH habitat type 9110 of the forest-grove-beech forests .

In terms of its natural surroundings, the nature reserve is already part of the Lusatian Uplands and no longer part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains , but is classified as a peripheral landscape in Saxon Switzerland. Geologically, the northern slope of the dance plan is made of biotite - granodiorite of the Zawidów type (also known as Seidenberger or Ostlausitzer granodiorite). Quaternary rubble covers and smaller block seas have formed in the steeper slope areas . Loess loam has been deposited in the northern area near the valley . The soils are predominantly parabroun earth - brown earths as well as skeletal humus soils with a smaller area in the area of ​​the block seas . The sacred halls extend up to an altitude of around 500 meters, and the climate is accordingly montane with an average annual temperature of only 7 degrees Celsius.

Flora and fauna

The name of the sacred halls already indicates the beech forests with hall-like character that can be found especially in the southern part. In addition, there are younger white fir stands and spruce trees . Typical for this habitat of the acidic forest-grove-beech forest is the extensive lack of a shrub layer. The soil layer is characterized, among other things, by oak fern , broad-leaved thorn fern , fox's ragwort and hairy grove . There are also mountain ferns , alpine witchweed and various types of sedges .

The animal world is represented in the sacred halls by at least 24 breeding bird species, including stock dove , tawny owl , black woodpecker and bullfinch . The pine marten and dormouse , which are otherwise rare in Saxon Switzerland, can also be found . The sacred halls are important as a habitat for bats , especially the great mouse-eared bat and Bechstein's bat . Reptiles are only rarely represented, especially adders to be mentioned here .

Others

In the upper part of the holy halls is the "baptismal font", a low granite stone with a hollow. During the Thirty Years War , the Holy Halls served several times as a place of refuge for the residents of Sebnitz and the surrounding villages. According to legend, newborn children were baptized in the baptismal font at this time .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ulrich Augst, Holm Riebe: The animal world of Saxon Switzerland: vertebrates . Berg- & Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 2003, ISBN 3-934514-12-X , p. 19.
2. ↑ Peter Rölke (Ed.): Hiking & Nature Guide Saxon Switzerland. Volume 3: On the edge of Saxon Switzerland . Berg- & Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 2004, ISBN 3-934514-13-8 , p. 242.

literature

• Peter Rölke (Ed.): Hiking & Nature Guide Saxon Switzerland. Volume 3: On the edge of Saxon Switzerland . Berg- & Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 2004, ISBN 3-934514-13-8 .
• Saxon State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture (Ed.): Nature reserves in Saxony. Dresden 2008, ISBN 978-3-932627-17-0 , p. 630.

Web links

Commons : Heilige Hallen (Saxon Switzerland)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Photo of the beech forest in the NSG Heilige Hallen