Eselsburger valley

	"Eselsburger Tal" nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
location	Gerstetten and Herbrechtingen in the district of Heidenheim , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
surface	3.18 km²
Identifier	1114
WDPA ID	81629
Geographical location	48 ° 36 ' N , 10 ° 11' E Coordinates: 48 ° 36 '23 " N , 10 ° 10' 34" E
Setup date	May 26, 1983
administration	Regional Council Stuttgart
particularities	Rock formation "Stone Virgins"

In the Eselsburger valley

The Anhausen an der Brenz monastery at the entrance to the Eselsburger valley

The Eselsburger valley is a nature reserve protected section of the Brenztals in Herbrechtingen in Baden-Württemberg district of Heidenheim in Germany in the southeastern part of the Swabian Alb .

Location and importance

course

The Eselsburger Tal forms a section of the Brenz . The river flows from the Anhausen monastery near Herbrechtingen in a loop of the sharply narrowing valley around the "Buigen" ridge. First, the Brenz moves about three kilometers south and southeast from Anhausen, past the lost Bindstein Castle and Falkenstein Castle ( Gerstetten municipality ), after a bend at the Eselsburg district (Herbrechtingen) it goes north to Herbrechtingen, where the Brenz sharp turns east. The Eselsburger Tal is mainly known for its natural beauty; the most famous of these are the “Stone Virgins”. The Spitzbubenhöhle is located at the southernmost point of the valley .

Cultural landscape

The Eselsburger Valley is also important as a cultural landscape:

The Spitzbubenhöhle provided an inventory of Upper Palaeolithic stone artefacts and thus proves that the valley was already settled in the Stone Age. Evidence from the time of the urnfield culture and the band ceramic culture stage were also stored in the cave.
In the Carolingian -time was monastery Herbrechtingen founded.
The monastery Anhausen an der Brenz was founded in 1125 as a Benedictine abbey at the entrance.
The castle bindstone , first mentioned in 1171, was temporarily a fief of Frederick Barbarossa was, from the castle Hürgerstein - was mentioned in 1399 and gone off already in 1429 - are only a few remains in place and the former Falkenstein Castle was built in the 12th century.
Eselsburg Castle was first mentioned in 1244 . It was inhabited until 1593 and then fell into ruin today.

Protection purpose

The purpose of protection is the preservation of a geologically interesting loop of the Brenz Valley with a multitude of valuable habitats for animal and plant species, the occurrence of many species threatened with extinction and a large number of protected plant species. Sloping forests, heathland, the Brenz floodplain with wetlands and a large number of rock formations, some of which are well known nationwide, give the area a special scenic charm.

Contiguous protected areas

Stone maidens

The "Eselsburger Tal" nature reserve includes the FFH area " Giengener Alb and Eselsburger Tal " (7427-341), the European bird sanctuary " Eselsburger Tal " (7327-441), the landscape conservation area " Eselsburger Tal mit Buigen and adjoining areas " ( 1.35.038), the protected forest " Buigen " (100073) and the Schonwald " Eselsburger Tal " (200367) designated as contiguous protected areas.

The valley is home to over 640 flowering plants and more than 80 species of birds.

Under the name Steinerne Jungfrauen in Eselsburger Tal , part of the valley is also designated as a protected geotope and part of the Swabian Alb Geopark .

tourism

The tourist road of the Staufer touches the Eselsburger valley. This holiday route can be traveled by car, bike or on foot.

hike

The Main-Danube-Bodensee-Weg of the Swabian Alb Association runs through the Eselsburger Valley.

To go biking

The Hohenlohe-Ostalb-Weg leads over 186 kilometers as a long-distance cycle path from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Ulm and is guided along the Brenz through the Eselsburger valley. The Albtäler cycle path in Eselsburger Tal is similar . The “Brenztal cycle path” covers the Eselsburger valley completely.

Sport climbing

The Eselsburger Tal is one of the most important tourist attractions of the Swabian Alb and offers good sport climbing and bouldering opportunities and is one of the interesting climbing areas in the Swabian Alb. Routes are set up for almost all levels of difficulty. These routes and the rocks that have been approved for them are described in numerous publications. Nature conservation regulations limit climbing on some rocks to certain months of the year.

legend

A legend explains the origins of the “Stone Virgins” and the origins of the Eselsburg ruins as follows: “A damsel is said to have lived on the Eselsburg above the valley for whom all suitors were not good enough. The damsel grew older and the suitors stayed away. Then she hated all men. Her hatred went so far that she forbade her two maids to interact with men. However, when they went out to the ice pond with a young fisherman, they are said to have been transformed into the two 'stone virgins' by the bad maiden. On the same evening lightning is said to have struck the Eselsburg. The maiden was burned in the fire he started. "

Trivia

Federal President Karl Carstens , who had crossed the valley on one of his numerous hiking stages through Germany in April 1981, later remarked that it was one of the loveliest valleys on his hikes.

literature

Heimat-Verein Herbrechtingen (Ed.): Eselsburger Tal. Gem of the Eastern Alb. Herbrechtingen, 1998.

and display information about the image

Panorama of the Brenz in the Eselsburger valley

Web links

Commons : Eselsburger Tal - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Profile of the nature reserve in the LUBW's list of protected areas
Profile of the landscape protection area in the protected area directory of the LUBW

Geotope profile (PDF, 4.4 MByte) on: Map server of the State Office for Geology, Raw Materials and Mining (LGRB) ( information )
Leaflet with map and explanations of the nature reserve (PDF download)

Individual evidence

↑ Heimat-Verein Herbrechtingen (ed.): Eselsburger Tal. Gem of the Eastern Alb. Herbrechtingen, 1998. p. 25.
↑ The district of Heidenheim (Ed. Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg and district Heidenheim). Volume II. Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, p. 307 [Herbrechtingen: History of the city districts].
↑ Sage of the Stone Virgins Homepage of the city of Herbrechtingen, accessed on September 19, 2019.
↑ Heimat-Verein Herbrechtingen (ed.): Eselsburger Tal. Gem of the Eastern Alb. Herbrechtingen, 1998. p. 59.

[1] Heimat-Verein Herbrechtingen (ed.): Eselsburger Tal. Gem of the Eastern Alb. Herbrechtingen, 1998. p. 25.

[2] The district of Heidenheim (Ed. Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg and district Heidenheim). Volume II. Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, p. 307 [Herbrechtingen: History of the city districts].

[3] Sage of the Stone Virgins Homepage of the city of Herbrechtingen, accessed on September 19, 2019.

[4] Heimat-Verein Herbrechtingen (ed.): Eselsburger Tal. Gem of the Eastern Alb. Herbrechtingen, 1998. p. 59.