Aschaffenburg national natural heritage

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National Natural Heritage is the name of an initiative by the federal government from 1998 and National Natural Heritage Aschaffenburg is the name of an adventure trail in Aschaffenburg , which was set up by Deutsche Bahn AG for € 2.7 million as a compensation measure for the expansion of the Hanau-Nantenbach ( Spessart ) line . This was done in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Real Estate Tasks (BImA), the government of Lower Franconia and the city of Aschaffenburg. The opening took place on May 4, 2018.

The former military training area, still with the tracks of tanks, seen from the heights of the Erbig

The site

The 236 hectare natural heritage site in the Schweinheim district has an approximately three km long adventure trail that lies in the 300 hectare nature reserve " Former training site Aschaffenburg and Altenbachgrund " and also in the FFH area "Aschaffenburg training site". The path goes around a 60 hectare fenced pasture, in which around ten Przewalski horses , eleven Heck cattle and occasionally herds of sheep graze. There are 15 boards on the path that provide information about the animals and plants as well as the history of this former parade ground. In addition, visitors can use their smartphones to listen to the voices of the animals living here using QR codes .

  • Przewalski horses grazing

  • Heck cattle on pasture

  • Roe buck grazing

  • Flock of sheep

  • Adventure trail at the pasture fence

  • View over the grounds to the Erbig

  • Rocks, trees and bushes

  • Pool

Military history

Remnants of military use

The area (see also Aschaffenburg military training area ) is popularly known as "Schweinheimer Exe" and was a military training area in the 20th century that was used by the Bavarian Army , the German Wehrmacht and the United States Army . The area was set up for military use in 1912 (see also the Royal Bavarian 2nd Jägerbataillon (ex 3rd JgBtl) ), after the First World War it was used for agriculture from 1920 and was taken over by the Wehrmacht for military purposes in 1936. After the Second World War, the area was expanded by the US Army and used by various associations until 2007.

ecology

Because the area was hardly used for agriculture for many decades, a great diversity of species was able to develop in animals and plants. The Federal Environment Ministry writes:

The natural heritage area is characterized by a large, sandy pasture landscape interspersed with hollows, depressions and temporary small bodies of water, as well as contiguous forests. In the open country, in addition to wet and wet areas with large sedge areas and reed beds, there are also sandy grasslands and heather. Groups of trees from historical orchards are interspersed. Some of the forest areas are already diverse in their composition and age structure.

The official brochure of the government of Lower Franconia and the city of Aschaffenburg explains the background:

In the past: tanks as landscapers
The decades of military training created a dynamic living space. Tanks and heavy vehicles caused regular ground injuries until 2007 and left deep tracks and hollows. Rare amphibians such as the yellow-bellied toad (Bambina variegata) and the natterjack toad (Bufa calamita) were able to lay their spawn in the sunny pools of the traffic lanes. The tree frog (Hyla arbarea) has one of the largest and last occurrences in the western Lower Franconian region in an old sand pit .
Settlers from the very beginning
Raw soil locations created by the practice are replaced by pioneering plants such as B. the small bird's foot (Ornithopus perpusillus) and the mountain sand bell (Jasione montana) populated. The sand lizard finds numerous retreats here and can be discovered regularly. The impressive number of 83 wild bee species , half of which are endangered in Bavaria, could be observed on the open ground .
Today: losses due to lack of use
The discontinuation of military training led to a decline in these valuable living spaces. In order to be able to preserve the biodiversity here, targeted maintenance measures must be carried out.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.bmu.de/service/infografik-naturerbe-flaechen/
  2. ^ From: Government of Lower Franconia, City of Aschaffenburg (Hrsgg.): Nature reserve. Former training site Aschaffenburg and Altenbachgrund , no year (2015?)

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