Kyffhäuser Nature Park
The Kyffhäuser Nature Park is located in Thuringia and has a total area of 305 km². It covers the geologically and scenically very different areas of the Kyffhäuser Mountains, the Windleite and the Hainleite .
In the north, the Kyffhäuser Nature Park borders the Golden Aue .
Gypsum karst landscape
The white gypsum slopes on the southern edge of the Kyffhäuser Mountains are characteristic of the nature park. Since the climate here is very dry and warm, a steppe landscape has formed that is otherwise to be found in Eastern and Southern Europe. In this landscape z. B. the spring Adonisröschen or the Kyffhäuser feather grass.
Internationally significant bird life
In the north of the nature park is the Kelbra reservoir , which is of international importance due to the diversity of its birds. Ducks (e.g. mallard, teal, pochard), waders (lapwing, common snipe, redshank, curlew), grebes ( great crested, pygmy, black-necked grebes), rails (water rail, coot), mute swans are reliable here , Black-headed gulls and bitterns (little eared bittern and great bittern). But sea eagles , ospreys , peregrine falcons and cormorants can also be found here.
The diversity of birds during the bird migration is particularly impressive, where up to 50,000 cranes rest at the reservoir and large swarms of larks and finches pass through. Since 1978, the reservoir has been protected by the Ramsar Convention as an internationally important refuge for birds .
Salt plants
The numerous salt marshes are a special feature of the nature park. Triggered by salty springs, salt plants settle (e.g. the beach aster), which otherwise only grow by the sea. Various inland salt stations in the area were scientifically investigated and accompanied by a LIFE project .
photos
View of the Kulpenberg transmitter , the arable land of the Golden Aue can be seen in the background on the right
The Kyffhäuser monument towers over the landscape
Geo-information center below the Barbarossa cave
