Lossiny Ostrow National Park

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A swamp on the Jausa overflow within the national park

The Lossiny Ostrow National Park ( Russian: Национа́льный парк Лоси́ный О́стров ; German National Park Moose Island ) is a national park in Russia . It is located on the northeastern edge of Moscow and is also the largest contiguous forest area in the Russian capital.

Location and description

The forest area of ​​the Lossiny Ostrow National Park extends over an area of ​​over 120  km² from the residential areas of the eastern and north-eastern Moscow administrative districts to far beyond the city limits towards Mytishchi and Koroljow . Exactly where the national park crosses the city limits of Moscow, it is cut up by the MKAD motorway ring . The national park consists of around 85 percent forest areas , the rest is divided into water areas (two percent), marshland (five percent) and reserve areas for a possible expansion of the national park. Around a third of the total area of ​​the park is in the Moscow city area, the rest belongs to Moscow Oblast .

Moose cow in the Elk Island NP, Moscow

Geographically Losiny belongs to the northwestern foothills of the Meshchera Lowlands -Tiefebene which extends over large parts of eastern Moscow Oblast. The height of the area is between 146 and 175 meters above sea level. The river Jausa flows through Lossiny Ostrow , which is also its source.

About 26 percent of the area of ​​the national park, that is mainly the part that belongs to Moscow, is officially classified as a local recreation area and can be entered without restriction. A further 27 percent are only allowed to enter specially marked paths, while the remaining 47 percent in the central area of ​​the park represent a so-called sapowednik , i.e. a particularly strictly protected nature reserve that can only be entered as part of a guided tour.

history

"The Elk Island in Sokolniki", a painting by Alexei Savrasov , 19th century

The forest areas of Lossiny Ostrow are practically the only remaining primeval forest areas in Moscow and the surrounding area. Even in the days of the Tsars , this place was a popular hunting destination for the Moscow aristocracy; in its vicinity - namely in the former village and today's district Sokolniki , whose park also belongs to the foothills of Lossiny Ostrov - a falconry was operated under Tsar Alexei I. In 1799, parts of the forest area were placed under nature protection, the first forestry was established there in 1842. There have been plans to create a national park from this forest area since the beginning of the 20th century, but they were influenced by the October Revolution , the civil war and a little later the Second World War repressed. It was not officially placed under protection until the 1970s, initially as a nature park in 1979 , and finally as a national park since 1983 . This also made Lossiny Ostrow the first national park in Russia.

Flora and fauna

The forest areas of the Lossiny Ostrow National Park are essentially a mixed forest , with spruce trees growing together with linden and birch trees in the core area of ​​the park , while the eastern part of the park is dominated by pine forests . A total of around 600 plant species can be found in Lossiny Ostrow, a number of which are on the Russian Red List . There are many wetlands in the area of ​​the Jausa spring.

The wildlife of the national park is also diverse with over 40 species of mammals, with the rarest species mainly living in the protected part of the park. These include the elk , which gives the national park its name , as well as fallow deer , wild boars , badgers , ermines , beavers , mink and other animals, some of which have not been preserved anywhere else in the vicinity of Moscow. The fauna of Lossiny Ostrow also includes a rich bird life with around 125 breeding and 170 migratory bird species.

See also

Web links

Commons : Lossiny Ostrow National Park  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 51 ′ 49 ″  N , 37 ° 46 ′ 39 ″  E