Upper Danube Nature Park

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Location of the Upper Danube Nature Park

The Upper Danube Nature Park is located in the south of Baden-Württemberg and includes large parts of the districts of Tuttlingen , Sigmaringen , Zollernalb and Biberach . It was founded on December 5th, 1980 and is one of seven nature parks in Baden-Württemberg.

The protected area covers 1,496 square kilometers along the Danube and its tributaries Bära and Lauchert between Tuttlingen and Herbertingen . It is administered by the registered association of the same name, based in Beuron , where the most impressive part of the Danube breakthrough through the Swabian Alb can be hiked.

Natural park

House of Nature , former Beuron station building

Location and protected areas

56 municipalities as well as the four districts belong to the nature park. The settlement area includes around 120,000 people. The administration is located in the "House of Nature", the old train station in Beuron, which is home to the Nature Park Association and the Nature Conservation Center. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Obere Donau Nature Conservation Center is Tuttlingen District Administrator Stefan Bär , the Nature Park Managing Director is Oberforstrat Bernd Schneck, and the nature park ranger is the qualified forester Markus Ellinger.

The nature park stretches from Immendingen (Tuttlingen district) in the west to Altheim bei Riedlingen (Biberach district) in the east, in the north-south axis from Schömberg (Zollernalb district) to Sauldorf (Sigmaringen district). The Heuberg , the southwestern plateau of the Swabian Alb, which is broken through by the Danube, forms the largest part of the nature park . In addition to the plateau of the Swabian Alb with the Großer Heuberg, the Laucherttal to Gammertingen also belongs to the nature park and the Upper Schischemtal (drained to the Neckar ) from Tieringen to Schömberg. In the south, the nature park extends into the south-west German Alpine foothills, which was shaped by the Ice Ages.

In 2005, the nature park was expanded to include the eastern part (almost 500 square kilometers), which corresponds to the northern part of the Sigmaringen district in the Lauchert valley. A second expansion followed in 2018 in the south-western area of ​​the park.

The fauna-flora-habitat area (FFH) “ Upper Danube Valley between Beuron and Sigmaringen ” and the bird sanctuary “ Südwestalb and Upper Danube Valley ” with an area of ​​2,700 hectares are almost identical to the Natura 2000 area “Upper Danube Valley” . The Stiegelefels nature reserve also belongs to the nature park. The Stiegelefelsmassiv is located between Beuron and Fridingen.

Nature park locations

Locations of the Upper Danube Nature Park
Biberach district

Binzwangen and Heiligkreuztal

District of Sigmaringen

Beuron (with Hausen im Tal , Langenbrunn , Neidingen and Thiergarten ), Bingen , Gammertingen (with Feldhausen , Harthausen and Kettenacker ), Herbertingen (with Hundersingen , Marbach and Mieterkingen), Hettingen (with Inneringen ), Inzigkofen (with Engelswies and Vilsingen ), Leibertingen (with Altheim , Kreenheinstetten and Thalheim ), Krauchenwies (with Ablach ), Mengen (with Beuren , Blochingen , Ennetach and Rulfingen ), Meßkirch (with Buffenhofen , Dietershofen , Heudorf , Langenhart , Menningen , Ringgenbach and Rohrdorf ), Neufra (with Freudenweiler ), Sauldorf (with Bichtlingen , Bietingen , Boll , Krumbach and rest ), Scheer (with Heudorf ) Schwenningen , Sigmaringen (with Gutenstein , Jungnau and Oberschmeien ) Sigmaringendorf (with Laucherthal ) Stetten (with Nusplingen , glassworks , Frohnstetten and Storzingen ) and Veringenstadt (with Hermentingen and Veringendorf )

Tuttlingen district

Balgheim , Bärenthal , Bubsheim , Buchheim , Böttingen , Deilingen , Denkingen , Dürbheim , Egesheim , Emmingen-Liptingen (with Emmingen from Egg and Liptingen ), Fridingen an der Donau , Frittlingen , Gosheim , Immendingen , Irndorf , Kolbingen , Königsheim , Mahlstetten , Mühlheim on the Danube , Neuhausen ob Eck (with Schwandorf and Worndorf ), Reichenbach am Heuberg , Renquishausen , Rietheim-Weilheim (with Rietheim and Weilheim ), Spaichingen , Tuttlingen (with Eßlingen , Möhringen an der Donau and Nendingen ), Wehingen and Wurmlingen

Zollernalb district

Meßstetten (with Hartheim , Heinstetten , Tieringen and Unterdigisheim ), Hausen am Tann , Nusplingen , Obernheim , Ratshausen , Schömberg (with Schörzingen ), Weilen unter den Rinnen and Winterlingen

Geology and geography

View from the Knopfmacherfelsen towards Beuron
Hiking trail in the Princely Park to Inzigkofen

The two source rivers of the Danube are the Brigach and the Breg on the eastern edge of the Black Forest . They unite to form the Danube near Donaueschingen .

Between Immendingen and Ertingen which crosses the Danube to the Upper Danube Nature Park , in which they are a deep bed through the Jura mountains of the Swabian Alb has dug. In this breakthrough valley of the still narrow river, mighty limestone rocks were exposed: One of them is the “ button maker rock ” near Beuron.

Beuron itself is located in the middle of the landscape of the nature park. The village emerged from the much-visited Archabbey of Beuron .

This breakthrough valley in the area of ​​the Upper Danube is known as the Danube valley .

The upper course of the Danube flows through the cities of Tuttlingen , Mühlheim , Fridingen , Sigmaringen , Scheer and Mengen.

Breakthrough of the Danube through the Swabian Alb near Beuron

The drainage of the Danube in Immendingen and south of Fridingen is also of geological and tourist interest .

Tributaries of the Danube in the nature park are the Ablach and Ostrach coming from the south, the Krähenbach , the Elta , Bära , Schmeie (or Schmiecha ) and the Lauchert coming from the north .

history

In terms of settlement history, the caves of the Upper Danube Valley between Tuttlingen and Sigmaringen play an important role: They served the Stone Age hunters as places of refuge who were sought out in case of danger. Finds range from the Palaeolithic ( Dietfurt castle cave ) to the Mesolithic ( Beuronia : Jägerhaushöhle ) to the Neolithic ( cave in the oak rock ).

The plateaus of the Alb were only settled in the third millennium BC, sites of discovery can be traced back to the Bronze Age and Iron Age .

The construction of castles in the Danube Valley began from 100 AD. Preserved castles and palaces as well as a total of 89 castle remains bear witness to this. Among the many preserved castles and palaces include the Old and New Castle Mühlheim which Fridinger city castle , Schloss Bronnen , Wildenstein Castle , Castle Werenwag , Schloss Gutenstein , Hohenzollern Sigmaringen Castle , Castle Bartelstein and the Schloss Scheer . The best-known ruins are in Tuttlingen, the castle Honberg , in Buchheim the castle ruin Kallenberg , the ruined castle Hausen in the valley , ruin Falkenstein , ruin Dietfurt , broken Gutenstein .

Sponsoring association and nature conservation center

The Upper Danube Nature Park is supported by the association of the same name, which was founded in October 1980. In addition to the 56 municipalities and four districts, this association includes representatives from agriculture and forestry, nature conservation, regional associations, the Swabian Alb Association , the mountain rescue service , the German Alpine Association and the ruin protection campaign for the Upper Danube Valley . The former station building in Beuron has housed the offices of the Obere Donau Nature Conservation Center and the Obere Donau Nature Park Association since 1996. The so-called House of Nature was visited by 17,380 people in 2012. It shows an exhibition on the geological development of the Upper Danube and points out the peculiarities of the flora and fauna. The focus of the work is in the area of ​​environmental education. There is also a small nature park shop.

traffic

Rail transport

In the nature park there is a synchronized offer in rail transport on all routes on weekends in the summer half-year. Railcars of the Hohenzollerische Landesbahn run here on weekends and public holidays. Nature Park through which tapped railway Tuttlingen-Inzigkofen that zollernalb railway and railway Ulm-Sigmaringen . In addition to the regular trains, the Nature Park Express and a so-called bike-hiking shuttle run on weekends and public holidays between May 1st and October 31st . From Tübingen and Balingen the nature park to Schömberg can be reached with the bike-hiking-shuttle. The trains connect individual places in the Upper Danube Nature Park and were built especially for cyclists and hikers on the Danube Cycle Path . The Nature Park Express runs between Sigmaringen and Blumberg with connection to feeder routes. In Blumberg it establishes a connection to the Wutachtalbahn , a museum railway. A special trolley is available for bicycles.

Cycle path network

Two long-distance cycle paths run through the area:

tourism

The tourism season officially begins on May 1st and ends on October 31st, on weekends in summer up to 20,000 people visit the Upper Danube Valley.

Climb

The tourist development of the Danube Valley for climbing began as early as after the First World War . This phase of early climbing tourism in the Danube Valley was interrupted by the Second World War, so that a second development can be recorded from 1949. In the meantime, to protect flora and fauna, a large part of the previously climbed rocks have been closed to climbing all year round or seasonally (for the time of the bird breeding or the courtship season), which originally triggered long conflicts and polemics. The most famous rock formation, which is why it is much discussed, is the Schaufelsen.

hike

Bike-hiking shuttle at Schömberg

There are 214 kilometers of certified hiking trails with the Donauberglandweg and the Donau-Zollernalb-Weg . Around 4000 kilometers of hiking trails are available.

To go biking

The Danube Valley is visited by around 80,000 cycle tourists every year.

Canoeing

Another mainstay of tourism in the Upper Danube Nature Park is canoeing. However, the boat contingent is regulated and the use of the boat depends on the water level.

Motorcycle tours

The narrow and winding road in the nature park between Sigmaringen and Beuron is a destination for many motorcyclists, especially on weekends. From Beuron, many continue towards the Lochenpass , which is closed on summer weekends.

environmental Protection

Between Beuron and Sigmaringen there are 19 habitat types , nine rare fauna representatives and 15 bird species.

flora

During the expansion phase of the forest after the last ice age, plants that are tied to open locations were able to retreat on the rocks of the Upper Danube Valley. Species such as feather grass , heather rose or dwarf bellflower found an ideal retreat on the exposed rock heads .

fauna

Chamois have been at home in the Danube Valley between Fridingen and Sigmaringen since the early 1970s. It is controversial among experts whether they immigrated or were consciously settled.

literature

Stiegelefelsen near Fridingen in the Danube breakthrough of the Swabian Alb
The almost completely dried up river bed of the Danube at the Danube infiltration
  • Elsbeth Büchin & Alfred Denker: Martin Heidegger and his home . Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-608-94092-8 (therein many passages worth knowing about the valley of the Upper Danube).
  • Augustinus Gröger, OSB: The Beuron Monastery ; in: Edwin Ernst Weber (ed.): Monasteries in the district of Sigmaringen in the past and present (local history series of publications in the district of Sigmaringen , Volume 9). Lindenberg: Kunstverlag Josef Fink, 2005; Pp. 46-92, ISBN 3-89870-190-5 .
  • P. Notker Hiegl (OSB): Hausen im Tal. Castles and citizens then and now . Engen: Stähle Verlag o. D. [approx. 1990].
  • Alfons Kasper: Art walks all over the Danube . Bad Schussenried: Dr. Alfons Kasper Verlag 1985.
  • Joseph Laub: History of the former five Danube cities in Swabia. With a clear description of the political situation in front of Austria. especially Swabian Austria . Quantities: Kommissionsverlag Karl Gruber, 1894. New edition (reprint): Stadt Mengen, 1972. (The five Danube cities are: Mengen , Munderkingen , Riedlingen , Saulgau and Waldsee .)
  • Wilhelm Rössler: Upper Danube Nature Park . Stuttgart: Theiss 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-2150-3 .
  • Anton Schlude : History of the mountain fortress Wildenstein in the Donauthale . Sigmaringen: HW Beck (C. Tappen) 1856. On the occasion of the 900th anniversary of Wildenstein Castle, a new typescript copy was published by the Leibertingen community (1977).
  • Anton Schlude: The Danube valley from Tuttlingen to Sigmaringen with its cities, villages, knight castles, etc., historically topographically described . Tuttlingen: Verlag EL Kling 1858.
  • Günter Schmitt : Castle Guide Swabian Alb. Volume 3: Danube Valley. Hiking and discovering between Sigmaringen and Tuttlingen . Biberach: Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei 1990, ISBN 3-924489-50-5 .
  • Fritz Schray (editor): A journey through the Danube valley from Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen . Echterdingen: ProCom Verlag 2000.
  • Joseph Stöckle : Guide through the upper Danube valley from Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen and its side valleys . Würzburg & Vienna: Leo Woerl's travel guides 1888.
  • Joseph Stöckle: The Beuron Monastery in the Donauthale (with illustrations and maps). Würzburg & Vienna: Leo Woerl's travel guides 1888.
  • Joseph Stöckle: Memories from the Donauthale . Meßkirch: Verlag Karl Willi 1889.
  • Joseph Stöckle: Werenwag in the Donauthale. With the addition: Excerpts and comments from the tourist books . Messkirch: Verlag Karl Willi 1893.
  • Gustav Ströhmfeld: Danube valley from the Danube source to Ulm . Stuttgart: Verlag J. Fink 1925 (2nd extended edition).
  • Eva Walter (text) & Thomas Pfündel (photos): Forays into the Danube Valley. From Donaueschingen to Ulm . Stuttgart: DRW-Verlag undated [1989].
  • Edwin Ernst Weber et al. (Ed.): The Upper Danube Valley in old views (painting / graphics / photography) . Meßkirch: Gmeiner-Verlag , 2009. ISBN 978-3-8392-1031-4 .
  • Andreas Zekorn, Bernhard Rüth, Hans-Joachim Schuster & Edwin Ernst Weber (ed.): Front Austria on the Upper Neckar and Upper Danube . On behalf of the Rottweil, Sigmaringen, Tuttlingen and Zollernalb districts. Constance: UVK-Verlagsges. 2002, ISBN 3-89669-966-0 .

See also

Web links

Commons : Upper Danube Valley  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): At a glance: Obere Donau Nature Park . In: Südkurier of April 3, 2010
  2. ↑ a b c Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): "Solutions are only possible together" . In: Südkurier of April 12, 2010
  3. ↑ Karlheinz Fahlbusch (kf): Upper Danube Nature Park . In: Südkurier of April 7, 2010
  4. ↑ Bernd Hermann (bh): Municipal Council. Planned nature reserve creates conflicts . In: Schwäbische Zeitung from November 25, 2008
  5. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller (hps): Nature. More understanding of protection. New leaflet on the Stiegelefelsmassiv in the Upper Danube Valley presented in the House of Nature . In: Südkurier from January 9, 2009
  6. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller (hps): Aktion Ruinenschutz Oberes Donautal is urgently looking for supporters . In: Südkurier of May 8, 2015
  7. ^ Chronology of the Schwenningen community in key words ( memento of October 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ); Retrieved December 14, 2011
  8. ↑ Nature Conservation Center Upper Danube : Annual Report 2012
  9. ↑ Ute Korn-Amann (uka): Round birthday. Württemberg's oldest mountain rescue service celebrates  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.szon.de . In: Schwäbische Zeitung, Sigmaringen edition, June 23, 2009
  10. ^ DAV: Felsinformationssystem Deutscher Alpenverein, Schaufelsen. Retrieved May 1, 2018 .
  11. ↑ DAV: Schaufelsen. Retrieved May 1, 2018 .
  12. ↑ DAV: Schaufelsen. Retrieved May 1, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Michael Hescheler (fxh): Far-sighted: Cyclists should dismount in the region. There are signs for seven bike tours in the Sigmaringen area - there is also a tour book with maps. In: Schwäbische Zeitung (pdf) ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) from July 27, 2011
  14. ↑ Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): Biker dreams with shadows . In: Südkurier of April 3, 2010
  15. ↑ Ursula Mallkowsky (sky): A toast to nature conservation . In: Südkurier of October 5, 2010
  16. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller (hps): Ice Age flora . In: Südkurier of April 8, 2015
  17. ^ Hermann-Peter Steinmüller (hps): Dispute about Donautal chamois . In: Südkurier of April 8, 2015

Coordinates: 48 ° 2 ′ 56.1 ″  N , 8 ° 58 ′ 19.9 ″  E