Witches Forest (Uetersen)

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Dune landscape of the witch forest.
The legendary clearing in the witch forest

The Hexenwald is a wooded area in Uetersen in the Pinneberg district .

The so-called Hexenwald borders the Langes Tannen park in Uetersen, was created on a former dune landscape that dates back to the Ice Age and is around 11 hectares in size . The vegetation consists mainly of pine , birch and oak due to the sandy soil . A narrow path with a small clearing leads through this forest area . This area is protected by the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG) and designated as a landscape protection area.

The name comes from an old legend according to which an old witch is said to have been up to mischief there in the Middle Ages . This is said to have lived near the forest clearing. This clearing is said to have served as a fireplace and a witches' dance area , among other things . Allegedly, until the middle of the 20th century, around noon, you could hear an eerie whistling and hissing in this clearing, which should come from their cauldron . Until the 1960s, this piece of forest was avoided by the children who lived nearby. This legend and the name of the forest have now largely been forgotten. A few years ago a storage area for a forest kindergarten was set up in the clearing .

literature

  • Hans Ferdinand Bubbe : Attempt of a chronicle of the city and the monastery Uetersen. Volume 1 & 2, 1932-1938.
  • Uetersen local history museum

Coordinates: 53 ° 41 ′ 43.9 "  N , 9 ° 40 ′ 11.6"  E