Steltenberg nature reserve

Steltenberg nature reserve in the center of the picture

Strunkschlenke hiking trail in the nature reserve

The Steltenberg nature reserve with an area of 42.29 hectares is located in the area of the independent city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia . The nature reserve (NSG) was designated in 1994 with the landscape plan of the city of Hagen by the city council of Hagen. It is located in the Hohenlimburg district . In the east, the NSG borders directly on the Steltenberg, Oege nature reserve with the Hohenlimburg limestone quarry. In the north, south-west, south-east and east there are built-up areas, including a large allotment garden. Only one row of houses separates the NSG in the northwest from Bundesstraße 7 . In the southwest, only Mühlenwegstraße separates the NSG from the Lenne-Niederung nature reserve with the Lenne .

Area description

The NSG includes a forest area. There are also botanically valuable limestone grasslands and rock grasslands . Small sieves with tall herbaceous meadows, still waters and the limestone quarry Rolloch I of the Hohenlimburg lime works, which was closed in 1967, are also located in the area. In the steep slope leading to the Lenne, known as the Oeger Klippchen , there are several geological and archaeological caves. The Oeger cave with a length of 39 m, the Dr. Wolf cave with a length of 161 m and the Seegrotte with a length of 159 m should be mentioned in particular .

Orchids have now found their way into the flora . According to a first assessment, these are hybrids of the flesh-colored orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) and the fox's orchid (Dactylorhiza furchsii) as well as of the fox's and broad-leaved orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis), horsetail and horsetail hybrids were also found .

Protection purpose

The NSG was designated as a nature reserve for the preservation and restoration of communities or habitats of certain wild plant and wild animal species as well as for the preservation and development of nationally significant biotopes of rare and endangered as well as typical wild plant and animal species of European importance .