Langer See (Karlstein am Main)

Langer See ; Langensee
	Natural monument Langer See in 2014
Geographical location	Aschaffenburg district , Bavaria
	Data
Coordinates	50 ° 3 '22 " N , 9 ° 0' 37.9" E Coordinates: 50 ° 3 '22 " N , 9 ° 0' 37.9" E
surface	0.5 ha
length	140 m
width	30 m
Middle deep	1 m
particularities	Natural monument

The Lange See or Langensee is a small lake designated as a natural monument near Karlstein am Main in the Aschaffenburg district in Bavaria .

geography

location

The Lange See is located in the Vor Spessart on the district of Großwelzheim on the federal road 8 , near the sports field in the Großwelzheimer fir forest . It belongs to the Bald Lake District and is in the conservation area in the districts Kahl am Main and Alzenau . Today there are two small islands in the lake.

history

The Lange See originally had a water surface of more than nine hectares . It reached from the current B 8 to the current settlement of Kimmelsteich , where it was adjacent to the eponymous Kimmelsteich. When surveyed in 1850, it was over 800 m long and about 100 m wide. It was called the Long Lake because of its shape. Currently the water surface of the lake is less than 0.5 ha, the length 140 m and the width 30 m. A multitude of factors worked together that the Long Lake shrank so significantly.

The Long Lake is a remnant of one of the many Urmain loops. This loop of the Main began at what is now Kleinostheim and led through the Haggrabensenke and Lindig. The former Main flowed around the present-day area of Großwelzheim and reached its present-day river bed around the mouth of the Kahl . The Lange See and the Seligensee, which no longer exists today, as well as the Kimmelsteich are remains from this time. For decades there was a connection between all three lakes, of which the Lange See was the largest.

The Long Lake around 1850

From 1827 to 1865 peat was mined in Langen See . Mining on the south and west edges was carried out down to the gravel layer below. This reduced the water level in the lake enormously. The Lange See was originally fed from springs in the eastern part. Another even more important water feeder was the outflow from Lake Seligensee. This received its inflow through the Bachquellengraben coming from Hörstein , which is now diverted into the Forchbach . The natural outflow of the Lange See was the Seegraben , which led to the Kimmelsteich.

When the Gustav I opencast mine was built in 1905 , the groundwater level sank again, and with it the water level of the Long Lake. Despite the constant inflow from Lake Seligen, it was on the verge of its final siltation . With the overburden from the open pit, the western, dry part of the lake was filled in. The so-called "large heap", also called "Kipp", was created.

In 1925, operations in the almost 40 m deep Gustav pit stopped. The open pit filled with water. As a result, the water level of the Long Lake also recovered. In 1930 the raised water level flooded the sports field. Volunteer workers therefore dug a drainage ditch in the Gustavsee and it was planned to fill the rest of the Long Lake completely with earth material from the large heap. A nature conservation officer was able to prevent this and declare the remainder of the lake a nature reserve .

In the years 1942 to 1960 there was a further gradual decrease in the water level. Between 1961 and 1964 the Lange See completely dried up. All that was left was a dry, cracked mud surface. The heavy rainfall from 1965 to 1968 caused the water level to rise again, but with the dry period from 1970 and the dismantling of the Welzheim lock , a sharp decline followed and the springs in the lake finally dried up.

During the construction of the Weiß gravel pit (today Großwelzheimer Badesee and Hörsteiner See ), on the opposite side of the B 8, safety measures were planned to maintain the fresh water supply from the Hörsteiner Graben. However, these measures were not implemented and the water ditch connection was rerouted by the gravel works operator. The superficial catchment area was thereby irreparably destroyed.

The Long Lake around the year 2000

In April 1970, the remains of the lake were dredged over a meter deep. Artificial pools were created. The excavation also filled up again with water. In 1977 and 1983 the lake was further excavated. The bank area was planted according to the location. Water lilies bloomed again. In 2008 and 2009 the lake was renovated again.

The street Am Langen See at the adjacent sports field is named after the lake.

Flora and fauna

The long lake is covered with reeds , the Indian balsam and white water lilies . In and around the lake living marsh frog , the agile frog , the frog , the spadefoot and the Zebra spider . The rare blue water frog could also be seen in the original lake . However, these disappeared after the Langen See was temporarily silted up.

literature

Our Kahlgrund 1961, 1964, 1973 and 1984 . Homeland yearbook for the Alzenau district. Published by the working group for homeland research and homeland maintenance of the Alzenau district, district administrator. ISSN 0933-1328 .

Web links

Commons : Langer See - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Bavaria Atlas of the Bavarian State Government ( notes )

[DE-BY_BV-1] Bavaria Atlas of the Bavarian State Government ( notes )