Mill houses Hardt
The Mühlhäuser Hardt is an approximately 15 km² large, closed forest area between the Mühlhausen district of Windeberg and Menteroda in the north of the Unstrut-Hainich district .
Position and extent
It lies on the southern roof of the Dün , a shell limestone plateau on the northwestern edge of the Thuringian Keuperbeckens. In the forest area there is a gradual drop of 485 m above sea level. NN at the highest point in the northwest, the Sollstedter Warte , at 320 m above sea level. NN in the southeast. The Mühlhäuser Hardt extends 6 km in a west-east direction. The greatest width from south to north is 3 km. The largest proportion of the area in the south of the Mühlhäuser Hardt is part of the Mühlhäuser Stadtwald , the largest municipal forest in Thuringia . The eastern part is formed by Obermehlersche Holz, a large plenter forest. In the northwest of the Mühlhäuser Hardt ends the Mühlhäuser Landgraben , a medieval Landwehr that was built to protect the outer areas of the then Free Imperial City of Mühlhausen.
geology
The near-surface geological subsurface is mainly formed by the ceratite layers of the Upper Muschelkalk (new: Lower Ladinium). Only in the far north are the thick-banked trochitic limestone of the Upper Muschelkalke cut. The limestone layers are covered by loess in many places . A treasure trove of karst forms can be found in the form of sinkholes that were created by the collapse of cavities in the underground. One example of this is the almost round knight's pit, measuring almost 100 m in diameter, at the Urbacher Birke forest, southwest of Menteroda.
Waters
The Northwest Thuringian shell limestone edge plates including the Mühlhäuser Hardt are a karst area. This means that due to the fissures in the limestone, most of the runoff occurs underground. The streams are dry for most of the year. In the Faßkopf, a damp lowland in the southeast of the Mühlhäuser Hardt, is one of the areas of origin of the Notter , a tributary to the left of the Unstrut . The shaft valley, one of the longest dry valleys in Germany, begins on the southern edge of the Mühlhäuser Hardt.
vegetation
Are predominantly z. Sometimes structurally rich woodruff and barley beech forests . Common ash and oak are plentiful in the forests. The oak dominates in places on alternating moist locations over clayey limestone soils . Impressive old specimens occur in the southwest of the forest area. One of the characteristics of the Mühlhäuser Hardt is the large star umbel ( Astrantia major ), which is otherwise rare in Thuringia and grows along the paths in the fringes of high perennials with many flowers and in the lowlands of the valleys. It is also worth mentioning the strong occurrence of March cups ( Leucojum vernum ), thousands of which cover the valley floor with white carpets of flowers in early spring.
economy
Mühlhäuser Hardt is characterized by forestry and hunting. The beech age group forest in the umbrella method is predominant. In places, but in a significant area, the old wood umbrella was removed too early in the past. The forest stands that have arisen there therefore consist almost exclusively of the pre-forest species ash. The Obermehlersche wood in the east is used by the Obermehler foliage cooperative as a beech forest. The Mühlhäuser Hardt is criss-crossed by a regular network of forest roads.
tourism
The forest area is hardly developed for tourism. Forest walks and cycling are generally possible on the forest roads. The Mühlhäuser Hardt is the start and end point for hikes over the Mühlhäuser Landgraben. From the south-western edge of the forest there are long-distance connections to the Thuringian Forest with the Inselsberg and the Schmücke. The Volkenroda Monastery is not far to the southeast, a tourist focus of the Unstrut-Hainich district. A mining museum in Menteroda provides information about potash mining, which has been practiced in the region for many years. The tunnels also run deep under the Mühlhäuser Hardt.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 17 ′ 29 ″ N , 10 ° 32 ′ 36 ″ E