Märzenbecherwiesen in the Polenz Valley

Coordinates: 51 ° 0 ′ 55 ″  N , 14 ° 7 ′ 39 ″  E

Märzenbecherwiesen in the Polenz Valley​

Saxony

The Märzenbecherwiesen in the Polenztal in the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district are known for the massive occurrence of the spring knot flower ( Leucojum vernum ), which is one of the largest wild occurrences of this species in Saxony . They were named after this pre-summer green plant, also known as the Märzenbecher. As the NSG Märzenbecherwiese , they have largely been a nature reserve since 1967 . Its purpose is the preservation and care of the wet meadows accompanying the stream for cultural, aesthetic and floristic reasons.

geography

Märzenbecherwiese in the Polenz Valley, 2011

The Märzenbecherwiesen lie on both sides of the Polenz , one of the two source rivers of the Lachsbach which flows into the Elbe . Since a city boundary runs along the Polenz, the orographically left, somewhat larger part of the nature reserve belongs to the Cunnersdorf district of the city of Hohnstein and the other on the right bank belongs to the Langenwolmsdorf district , city of Stolpen . The next place to the west is Heeselicht , neighboring up the valley is Polenz , a district of Neustadt in Saxony . The Märzenbecherwiesen extend over an approximately one kilometer long section of the bottom of the Polenztal, a kerbsohlental . The protected area of ​​the valley meadows with an area of ​​7.89 hectares lies at an altitude of 268 to 286  m above sea level. NN . It consists of two parts, of which the much larger begins immediately below the county road from Cunnersdorf to Langenwolmsdorf (K 8725), which crosses the valley at the Bockmühle. The other part is around 400 meters above the Bockmühle, which is a starting point for hiking through the nature reserve. The Polenztalweg opens up the area.

The nature reserve belongs to the 371 hectare FFH area  163 Polenztal , in which it primarily serves to protect the habitat type of the lowland hay meadows, as well as the landscape protection area d 77 Upper Polenztal and Hohes Birkigt . It is located north of the Lusatian Fault and is therefore already part of the West Lusatian hills and mountains from a natural spatial point of view and not, for example, the Saxon-Bohemian chalk sandstone area with Saxon Switzerland . The subsoil is therefore not formed by Elbe sandstone , but a two-mica granodiorite directly in contact with the Stolpener leuco granite . Mighty river and floodplain sediments from the Quaternary are deposited on top . The top layer consists of gleys and Vegen that on partly sandy Auelehm - silts occur. It is characterized by a very high groundwater level . The strongly meandering Polenz, which was left in its natural course, floods the meadows from time to time. The pressurized water from the slopes, which partially reaches the surface, is also important for the moistening of the meadows. Several centuries ago, artificially created irrigation ditches run along the borderline between the hillside forest and meadow, from which the water seeps through the valley meadows, which slope gently towards the Polenz. The foggy valley location is of particular importance for the microclimate .

Flora and fauna

Leucojum vernum

The eponymous Märzenbecher, a south-central European type of moist deciduous forest, occurs in the area with a mass occurrence near its northern limit of distribution. These plants can bloom between early March and early April, with some variations from year to year. However, numerous other species can also be found on the valley meadows of the nature reserve, which have emerged from the alder , ash and alluvial forests . Noteworthy are cabbage thistle , poor meadow marguerite , snake knotweed , meadow bellflower , common red fescue , swamp yarrow and cuckoo's light carnation , as well as reed grass , creeping buttercup and meadow foxtail are common. Staudenfluren , reeds and Common butterbur accompany the bank of Polenz, in some places, developed pastures -Gebüsche. In Polenz itself there are many flooding aquatic plants and species-rich moss communities .

Endangered species like the bullhead live in the fish-rich Polenz . The otter has also been detected. Occurring birds are dipper , kingfisher , gray wagtail and black stork . There is also evidence of eight bat species and 22 butterfly species , including the mourning cloak .

history

Historical records show the mowing of the meadows in Polenztal as peasant farming to harvest of hay already for the period to 1500. The regular late first cut around the Midsummer Day (end of June) favored the 1821 first mentioned Märzenbecher deposits that evolved in 1900 into a tourist attraction . The Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz acquired around 2 hectares of meadows and 1 hectare of forest below the Bockmühle in 1928 and initiated the first protective measures. The expropriation of the association on December 31, 1948 led to the transfer of the meadows into public ownership . During the GDR era , the meadows were secured as a nature reserve in 1961, and the 6.5 hectare area was established on September 11, 1967. The deepening of the riverbed of the Polenz in the 1970s resulted in a lowering of the groundwater level, which worsened the moisture in the floodplain. Further damage occurred during this time through the use of too heavy mowing technology. From 1990 to 1993 the regional association bought almost 12 hectares of meadows and leased another 5.5 hectares. On March 29, 2014, the city of Hohnstein an der Bockmühle hosted the 1st Märzenbecher Meadow Festival.

Current state

Märzenbecherwiese in the Polenz Valley, 2003

In 2008, the condition of the nature reserve was assessed as “still good”. The meadows have been mowed regularly for several centuries. The continuation of this practice with the removal of the clippings is a prerequisite for the maintenance and promotion of the slightly declining stocks of Märzen cups. In order for the fruit clusters to ripen, the first mowing may take place at the end of June at the earliest. The second important prerequisite is the moisture and nutrient supply through the Polenz, which is why the system of irrigation ditches should be preserved. The spread of neophytes is combated. In order to protect further valley meadows, the nature reserve is to be expanded to the north as far as the Polenz district boundary and to the south as far as the border of the Saxon Switzerland National Park near Zeschnig . During the heyday of the Märzenbecher, the Polenztal is a popular destination in the Dresden region .

literature

• Friedemann Klenke: Nature reserves in Saxony. State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture, Dresden 2008. P. 374 f.

Web links

Commons : Märzenbecherwiesen im Polenztal  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz : Märzenbecher attracts visitors to the Polenz Valley
• touristiklounge.de: Polenztal attracts with natural spectacles - millions of the endangered Märzenbecher are blooming again
• Diary: Märzenbecher in Polenztal , private blog

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Friedemann Klenke: Nature reserves in Saxony . State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture, Dresden 2008. P. 374 f.
2. ^ Roland Füssel: The Polenztalweg. Helmsdorf 1996, accessed March 10, 2012.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz (Hg.): Märzenbecher lure you into Polenztal. ( Memento of the original from November 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Without place and date, accessed March 10, 2012. 
4. ↑ District Office Pirna: 1. Märzenbecher-Miesenfest. ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Hohnstein, March 27, 2014, accessed March 29, 2014.