Snake Mountain Nature Reserve
The Schlangenberg nature reserve is an area of 108 hectares in the Aachen city region , characterized by its galme flora . It was placed under protection in 1975. The area to the east of Stolberg (Rhld.) , The district of Breinigerberg , was named after the hill Schlangenberg on the L12, 276 m above sea level .
The "Schlangenberg" nature reserve is one of 37 nature reserves belonging to the city of Stolberg (Rhld.).
geology
The entire nature reserve is located on a limestone ridge that was deposited around 400 million years ago. Fossilized, partially weathered coral structures are still found today. The Devonian limestone came to the surface through geological shifts, but most of it fell victim to erosion . About 200 million years ago aqueous ore solutions penetrated the porous limestone and the primary ores zinc blende , marcasite and galena were formed . Since this penetration process involved bursts of solution, shell ore structures, so-called shell diaphragms, formed in the ores of the Schlangenberg mountain . By metasomatism the superficial overlapping ore to Sekundärerz weathered calamine , consisting mainly of calamine ZnCO 3 consists.
history
Presumably the Celts had already started mining the ores. The settlement of the area by Celts and Romans is assured . 25 coin finds from around 100 BC BC to 92/93 AD originate from the Aduans and Romans. In addition, remains of the walls of Roman buildings were discovered in several places in the area. It can now be said with certainty that the Romans mined ore in the years 100 to 400 AD in the area of today's Breinigerberg / Schlangenberg.
In the 18th century, the copper masters based in Stolberg had a monopoly in European brass production . This was based on the fact that the extraction of this alloy required 2 volumes of gall ore and 1 volume of copper ore , which was mainly obtained from the resin . Due to the problematic transport situation at that time, the lower transport costs decided the location of the alloy production.
Before 1800, mining was carried out exclusively by superficial ore mining in Pingen Galmeierz in the area of the Schlangenberg. The ore, which contains zinc, lead and cadmium, was distributed over large areas and the entire serpentine mountain region was furrowed and contaminated with the toxic metal.
From 1800 the advanced technology made it possible to extract deeper ores. The mining began in depths of up to 105 meters, as the groundwater could be diverted into the nearby Vichtbach through pump shafts and dewatering tunnels . Between 1850 and 1860 an early industrial mine field was built, which at the beginning belonged to the Eschweiler Mining Association , the Stolberger Gesellschaft and the Allianz Anonymous Society for Mining and Metallurgy near Stolberg . In 1853, what was very modern processing plant for the time was built. From 1856 onwards, the Eschweiler company received full ownership rights.
In the course of time the entire area was tunnelled by shafts, as the listing of the numerous shaft systems shows: Bleigrube, Brett, Duhm, Emilie - Maria, Fetis, Gosselin, Haas I and II, Henriette, Hermannstein I and II, Hillmann, Karl, Keller, Kingdom, Lintert, Loenie, Lohkuhl, Quarsack I II and III, Schlangenberg I and II, Schleicher, Steffens, Toschee I and II, Wasserbund. Even the ore bodies were given characteristic names, as the complete overview shows: Adolphsgang, Bernhardgang, lead mine passage, lead mine floor, nettle passage, Duhmgang, Eickhold nests, ore mine passage, Gosselingang, Haasgang, Heinrich floorwerk, Hermannsteingang, Hillmannsgang, Kingdom passage, Lintertgang, Lohkuhlgang, Macnamersaragangang , Quarsackgang, Rainbeauxgang, Schafberggang, Schlüsselgang, Schmittchengang, Schmitzgang, Schnellwindgang, sulfur gravel floor, Toschée floor, Wolfsgrubegang.
After 1870, the mine became impoverished, as the ore field was exhausted by around 700 employees, including 200 tusks, of up to 6,600 tons a year. The dismantling was stopped during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, but started again in 1881, but finally abandoned in 1883.
Between 1871 and 1881, the group-internal ownership structure of the Eschweiler company changed . While the company was still a coal producer in 1871, it had to be purchased in 1881. This made the smelting process so expensive that it became unprofitable and had to be discontinued.
Until 1915, however, there was still a winding tower for the extraction of sulfur-containing iron ore on the Schlangenberg site . This was used to obtain sulfuric acid . It was not until 1921 that the last remnants of the mine were demolished.
The years of work left a toxic industrial wasteland popularly known as the Balkans . Due to the lack of environmental awareness at the time, no renaturation took place, so nature was left to its own devices.
After the Second World War , the site was used as a practice area until the late 1980s. It was first used by Belgian troops and later by the German armed forces . Both used partly heavy equipment, the effects of which on the site can still be seen today. During this time, the Schlangenberg was partially closed to the public. In some places there are still relics of soldiers' shelters. After the withdrawal of the military, motor cross clubs used the site. When the area was placed under nature protection in 1975, the disturbances from motor sports ceased.
In 2011, around 6,000 pines were felled to curb the threat of overgrown pine. Only a few copies have been preserved. This measure created a large open area in the southern area with poor grass , bushes and water. An annual short-term grazing with herds of sheep and goats ensures that the biological balance is maintained.
flora
The calcareous soil of the Schlangenberg nature reserve contains large amounts of zinc , cadmium and lead . The high toxicity allows only a few plant species to grow here. A relict flora from the Ice Age emerged as a refuge for the endemic calamine flora . A comparable area can be found in the Bärenstein nature reserve , for example .
Typical of the flora of the nature reserve are the species of the Galmeiflora . In addition to the occurring only in the nature reserve Schlangenberg originally worldwide Yellow zinc violet ( Viola calaminaria ) to the are plumbago plants belonging calamine Thrift ( Armeria maritima ssp. Elongata ), the blooming in March and April calamine Täschelkraut ( Thlaspi calaminare ), the blue-green , bristly grass Galmei sheep fescue or Aachen calmei fescue ( Festuca aquisgranensis ), the pigeon goiter ( Silene vulgaris ssp. humilis ) and the calamine spring chickweed ( Minuartia verna ssp. hercynica ).
There is a woodruff beech forest on the northwestern part of the nature reserve .
At various points in the nature reserve there is an orchid beech forest, a biotope for orchids, some of which are rare. The red-brown stendellum ( Epipactis atrorubens ), the bird's nest root ( Neottia nidus-avis ) and the pale or white wood bird ( Cephalanthera damasonium ) grow here, with an intense vanilla smell . Other orchids, which have become rare, can be found on the grasslands, such as B. the orchid orchid ( Orchis morio ), the mosquito-handelwort ( Gymnadenia conopsea ) and the fly orchid ( Ophrys insectifera ).
But the Schlangenberg nature reserve does not only offer a suitable habitat for orchids. The common fringed gentian ( Gentianopsis ciliata ), the German fringed gentian ( Gentianella germanica ) and in some hidden places the rare fern common adder's tongue ( Ophioglossum vulgatum ) grow here.
fauna
Numerous rare insects live in the Schlangenberg nature reserve, many of them are on the red list .
More than 300 different butterflies were identified, such as the dwarf blue ( Cupido minimus ), the brown-spotted mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Boloria (Clossiana) selene ) or the thyme ram ( Mesembrynus purpuralis ). The abundance of butterflies in the area is not limited to these moths, as the following overview of the species regularly represented here shows: Middle mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Fabriciana niobe ), painted lady ( Vanessa cardui ), admiral ( Vanessa atalanta ), forest board game ( Pararge aegeria ), pearly meadow birds , Hauhechelbläuling ( polyommatus Icarus ), dovetail ( Papilio machaon ), silver-studded blue ( Plebejus Argus ), Aurorafalter ( Anthocharis cardamines ) Kaisermantel ( Argynnis paphia ) Malvenwürfelfalter ( Pyrgus malvae ), brown eye ( Lasiommata maera ), ocher brown bullhead ( Thymelicus sylvestris ) , Mid Weinschwärmer ( Deilephila elpenor ), Kleiner Kahn Spinner ( Pseudoips prasinanus ), gray tensioner ( Aplocera plagiata ) Zackeneule ( Scoliopteryx libatrix ), peppered moth ( B. betularia ) wittia sororcula ( Eilema sororcula ), dovetail ( Macroglossum stellatarum ) and the Brown bear ( Arctia caja ).
The area is known for its numerous locusts that still live there. These include the wart-biter ( Decticus verrucivorus ), the heather grasshopper ( Stenobothrus lineatus ) and the finger-sized green hay horse ( Tettigonia viridissima ).
The nature reserve is also the habitat of the common rose beetle ( Cetonia aurata ).
In addition to these insects, the heavy metal lawns and heaths of the snake mountain provide a habitat for numerous reptiles. The rare smooth snake ( Coronella austriaca ) can be found here and there .
Both the Woodlark ( Lullula arborea ) and the red-backed shrike ( Lanius collurio ) use the nearly treeless region.
In a special project of the Biological Station in the Aachen district e. V. is currently trying to relocate the yellow-bellied toad ( Bombina variegata ) that used to live here .
Threat to the nature reserve
Although the toxic soil of the Schlangenberg nature reserve hardly allows any vegetation, some plants threaten the endangered biotope. These include pines , which, despite the high heavy metal content of the soil, would overgrow the open spaces if an inspection by the Biological Station in the Aachen district e. V. would not take place.
Another danger for nature comes from the visitors, who enter the endangered areas despite the paved paths and thus threaten them.
Information center Schlangenberg
In order to bring the special features closer to the visitors to the nature reserve, an information center was set up in the former Breinigerberg secondary school in April 1991 on the initiative of the Heimatverein and with the support of the city of Stolberg. In addition to information about the Schlangenberg, it also offers a natural and local history exhibition with exhibits about the time of ore mining.
Schlangenberg at the turn of the year
literature
- Information brochure from the Breinigerberg information center
- Zt. D. Aachen History Association 45 vol. (1923) pp. 283/284
- Breiniger Heimatblätter, Volume 12, The Schlangenberg Nature Reserve. Ed .: Eifel- und Heimatverein Breinig, ISBN 978-3-941704-42-8
swell
- ↑ NSG ACK-011 Schlangenberg ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Excursion of the Bochum Botanical Association with a list of plants from May 25, 2014
Web links
- Nature reserve "Schlangenberg" (ACK-011) in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Schlangenberg information center - nature on the dump
- Snake Mountain Nature Reserve
- Early autumn photo report from the Schlangenberg
Coordinates: 50 ° 44 ′ 13.5 " N , 6 ° 14 ′ 36.3" E