Werther Heide Napoleonsweg nature reserve

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View of the nature reserve

The Werther Heide Napoleonsweg nature reserve comprises a nature reserve of 17 hectares in the Aachen city region in North Rhine-Westphalia . It is made up of two spatially separated areas. The smaller Napoleonsweg area covers an area of ​​approx. 3.5 hectares, the larger, Werther Heide , is significantly larger and is located on the Weißenberg. Both areas are north of the city of Stolberg (Rhld.) And border on the Stolberg district of Werth .

Werther Heide Napoleonsweg is one of currently 37 nature reserves in the city of Stolberg (Rhld.).

geology

Galena, a starting product of Galmeiparagenesis

About 350 million years ago, a limestone ridge was deposited from sediments of maritime origin in the Stolberg region . This distinguishes this region from the Schlangenberg nature reserve , which is based on Devonian limestone. In the course of the following millions of years there were geological shifts that pushed this rock to the surface of the earth. Much of the material fell victim to erosion and was removed. About 200 million years ago, the situation changed when aqueous metal salt solutions penetrated the porous material. It formed Primärerze such as sphalerite sphalerite α- ZnS, galena galena PbS or marcasite pyrite FeS 2 . For the most part, these were incurred as bowl panels .

The ore on the surface weathered. Due to the influence of oxygen-rich surface water which in this case was Sekundärerz calamine , a sulphide compound which predominantly of zinc carbonate calamine ZnCO 3 and about 0.5% iron (III) oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) exists. In this process, the metasomatosis , a conversion of the starting mineral takes place by exchanging incoming and outgoing substances, whereby one mineral is exchanged for another as a result.

history

The nature reserve has its origins in the exploitation of the galmei deposits at the time of the copper masters , which peaked in Aachen from the 16th century and in Stolberg from the end of the 16th century. The ore near the surface was mined on a large scale, tunnels were dug and the ore was mined in Pingen . When the ore deposits were exhausted towards the end of the 19th century, the area was abandoned. A renaturation did not take place. However, since the mining in Pingen was not as intensive as in the areas of Schlangenberg or Brockenberg , the change in the landscape that can still be seen is not as clearly noticeable as in these areas.

flora

Calamine particles

A study of this area from 1999 determined the following area composition for the Werther Heide Napoleonsweg nature reserve: 25% are classified as dry grassland or steppes, 49% as deciduous forest region , 25% as artificial forest e.g. B. from poplar stands or exotic trees. 1% of the area is moist and mesophilic grassland.

Different plant families exist according to the types of vegetation.

The reserve provides a Refugial biotope for the endemic Galmeiflora . In it succeeds zinc-resistant plants to tap into a habitat that remains closed for the usual plants due to the toxicity of the rock.

The typical plants of this biotope include the yellow calamine (Viola lutea ssp. Calaminaria) , the calamine carnation (Armeria species "calaminaria") , the calamine spring chickweed (Minuartia verna ssp. Hercynica) or the calamine purse (Thlaspi calaminare) .

Various types of orchids can be found in the deciduous forest. These include, among others, the bee ragwort (Ophrys apifera) and the white forest hyacinth (Platanthera bifolia) .

fauna

The area stands out for its abundance of butterflies. These include the green hairstreak Callophrys rubi or the dwarf blue- winged butterfly Cupido minimus . But the purple gold fire butterfly Lycaena hippothoe and the rust band Hipparchia semele can also be found among the numerous species that still occur here.

The nature reserve is also rich in horrors. They include the wart- biter Decticus verrucivorus and the short-winged bite- insect Metrioptera Brachyptera . Then there is the heather grasshopper Stenobothrus lineatus .

Threat to the nature reserve

The greatest danger to the nature reserve results from its size. The Napoleonsweg area in particular is very small and can therefore easily be damaged by environmental influences. Orchards with potential insecticide use are in the immediate vicinity. There is also a neighboring sports field, whose visitors use the nature reserve as a recreational area.

literature

  • The district administrator of the Aachen district (ed.): Aachen district landscape plan: Stolberg / Roetgen . February 28, 2005.
  • District government Cologne (Ed.): Nature reserves in the administrative district of Cologne . August 31, 2004 ( brk.nrw.de [PDF; 800 kB ; accessed on May 24, 2007]).
  • Commission of the European Community (Ed.): NATURA 2 0 0 0 Territory No . : DE 5203-302 . May 27, 1994 ( naturschutz-fachinformationssysteme-nrw.de [PDF; 540 kB ; accessed on May 24, 2007]).

Web links

Commons : Werther Heide Napoleonsweg nature reserve  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 46 ′ 36 ″  N , 6 ° 16 ′ 57 ″  E