Ursee Valley

Ursee Valley
View of the Ursee from the lookout point of the Urseerundweg
location	Baden-Wuerttemberg , Germany
Mountains	Black Forest
Geographical location	47 ° 51 '52 "  N , 8 ° 10' 9"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 51 '52 "  N , 8 ° 10' 9"  E

The Urseetal is a side valley of the Haslach within the Southern Black Forest Nature Park and belongs to the municipality of Lenzkirch in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg .

Several smaller streams feed the approximately 840 m above sea level. Ursee located NN in the Ursee nature reserve . The Urseebach flows through the nature reserve , from the Ursee to the east and after about 2 kilometers at the church of St. Nikolaus von Lenzkirch into the Haslach. This flows about 5 kilometers further east towards the Gutach, which becomes the Wutach , after which the Wutach Gorge is called.

Because of the rare flora and fauna as well as its scenic beauty, the area around the lake was declared one of the first nature reserves in the Black Forest in 1940, after those of Feldberg and Wutachschlucht.

geography

Position and extent

The Urseetal stretches in the west from Lenzkirch towards Raitenbuch. The road from Lenzkirch to Fischbach and Schluchsee cuts through the southern slope of the valley. The road to Raitenbuch runs in the valley itself. Only at the level of the Ursee does this path climb uphill until it finally drops back down to the Windgälleweiher on the Raitenbucher Höhe . The hurricane Lothar straightened end of 1999 on the northern slope of the valley of Mittelberg until after Raitenbuch storm damage, which even ten years were to see later.

The reserve extends in a valley of 47 ° 52 '  N , 8 ° 10'  O to 47 ° 52 '  N , 8 ° 11'  O . The lake itself is located at the western end of the protected area at the coordinates 47 ° 52 '  N , 8 ° 10'  O .

Moraine and raised bog

The lakes in the Upper Black Forest bear witness to the last ice age . From the Feldberg over the Raitenbucher Höhe the glacier also extended to Unterlenzkirch. In the time after that, rubble and debris remained as (terminal) moraines , as did the Ursee and the surrounding moor. Today's 'Rest-Ursee' was once much larger. Investigations have shown that the glacial lake used to reach up to the current level of development and had a length of two kilometers. The small moraines in the Urseetal, such as the Powder Tower moraine 800 meters below the lake, have been breached over time. The water could drain away and the lake retreated further and further. Today's remaining lake with its eight to ten meters depth is no longer threatened with further 'leakage', but siltation is increasing. Historical photos show that the Ursee has shrunk considerably since the 1930s alone. There are also photos of the former gravel pit , which was located between the lake and the powder tower moraine.

Geological features

Volcanic rock with inlaid rock debris at Haus Ursee

The rock formations along the road to Schluchsee can attract the hiker's attention: within a few hundred meters you can observe at least ten different rock formations. These include the eruption rocks that were formed in the course of a volcanic eruption : the power of the eruption broke red rock and shattered it into small pieces, which were then enclosed by the liquid lava . These events and their products are particularly clearly visible on the stones that were found during the excavation and now form the embankment of Haus Ursee . Due to the long activity of the glacier ice, these large stones were ground to be rounded.

Starting from the Silberbrünnele hiking car park , on the road to Schluchsee, within the next 100 meters you will come to an edge of red and black rock. Here we have a record of plate tectonics . This is a microcontinent collision that is revealed in the Badenweiler-Lenzkirch zone .

The Black Forest Association Lenzkirch has set up a rock garden above the Ursee valley near the sports field, in which various rock formations are shown that can be found in the Lenzkirch district. An information board explains both the former glaciation and the geology.

Nature reserve

"Ursee" nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
location	Lenzkirch , Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
surface	30.4 ha
Identifier	3,031
WDPA ID	82761
Geographical location	47 ° 52 '  N , 8 ° 11'  E
Setup date	1940

The nature reserve was first established in 1940 and expanded to 31 hectares in 1992.

History of origin until 1940

In the early 1920s, the municipality intended to dam the Ursee Valley into a lake in order to create a tourist attraction. Some scientists criticized the project, which was supported by the responsible Baden Ministry in Karlsruhe. However, the global economic crisis prevented this project from being completed. Later those responsible were convinced of the special features of the Ursee and its surroundings, so that in 1940 the establishment of the first nature reserve Ursee was legally decided.

Expansion in 1992

In the post-war period, the importance of nature conservation was lower: immediately after the nature reserve, a landfill was operated, which was only given up in the 1970s. The stream from Raitenbuch that flows into the nature reserve was still the Raitenbuch sewer system in the 1990s . Only to protect the water supply was the long-standing waste water pipeline rehabilitated in this millennium and the now clean stream was only fed into the NSG below the first deep well.

To protect the adder in particular , the nature reserve was greatly expanded in 1992 and extended almost to Lenzkirch. There are two deep wells within the nature reserve, so that some areas are simultaneously subject to the rules of water protection , the nature conservation ordinance and those of the Federal Nature Conservation Act.

Landscape maintenance from 2010

Until the 1950s, the area around the lake, which had been free of tree vegetation 80 years ago, was mowed as a litter meadow . When these care measure is no longer held, spread in the wake of approach immigrant spruce trees, which blocked the view of the lake for the most part and allowed him only on the level of Urseerundweges from the south. In the course of the program to shape the cultural landscape of tomorrow by the Ministry for Rural Areas and Consumer Protection of Baden-Württemberg , these spruce bars were removed by deforestation in 2011 .

The extended nature reserve from 1992 was not identified by signs or information boards at that time. In the course of the work, appropriate triangular signs were put up at all entrances to the nature reserve, a lookout point was attached to the Urseerundweg and equipped with a park bench. In spring 2013, a second vantage point to the Möslehof was equipped with a set of a table with matching benches as a picnic area. With the moraine path, an existing beaten path was legitimized in 2015 as a shortcut to the Urseerundweg, which at the same time enables access to the Black Forest Shepherd's Path , which was also created by the project. The Ursee part of the project was completed in July 2016 with the handover of four information boards at the entrances to the protected area as well as at the lookout point and picnic area.

present

Agricultural use

Fertilized meadows in the nature reserve, behind one of the storm surfaces of Hurricane Lothar

In the ordinance from 1992, agricultural use in the previous type, intensity and scope outside the high moor core zone was still approved.

"§5 Permissible Actions: (1) The prohibitions from §4 do not apply to (1.) proper agricultural use in the previous type, in the previous intensity and in the previous scope with the proviso that on the properties Flst.Nrn. 392, 393, 398, 401, 421 and 425 the application of mineral nitrogen fertilizers, liquid manure and liquid manure is prohibited. "

- From the regulation

Some of the farmers involved have now switched their livestock farming to the operation of loose stalls, which leads to more frequent emptying of the manure pit . As a result, the meadows in the nature reserve are now fertilized several times a year, which, in the opinion of nature conservationists, contradicts the ordinance and harms the diversity of plants.

Nevertheless, in the course of the state project in 2010, it was confirmed that the agricultural use of the valley meadows prevents encroachment , as has been observed in the riparian zone since the 1960s.

The water level in the Urseebach

Choked brown trout in the Urseebach

By lowering the creek bed in connection with the creation of a new walking path around 1975, with which the main aim was to prevent the spring floods, the creek bed was so damaged that since then the creek has dried up in parts and the brown trout suffocate in these areas.

To what extent the water extraction through the two deep wells is responsible for the drying out is - as press reports show - a point of contention in the discussion with the group water supply.

biodiversity

flora

Orchid species in the Ursee Valley

“In the primeval-looking biotope Ursee and Urseemoor there are rare plant communities, there is an almost textbook-like zoning of bog plants. Fever clover and peat moss , rosemary heather and cranberry , mud sedge and marsh moss find ideal conditions. The rare, carnivorous sundew occurs as well as the bittersweet or a small population of the almost extinct pond rose . In the case of the animals, only highly specialized species can survive in this very hostile moorland, where the water quality should hardly be inferior to the acidity of a salad vinegar. Some water bird species can be found between the willows and black alders rooted in the moor, certain dragonfly species hover over the lake on sunny days and the rare adder finds a final refuge in the area. No wonder that this valuable natural area is completely protected. "

- Manfred G. Haderer

This quote mainly refers to the part of the nature reserve that was already protected before 1992. In addition, rare and protected places can be found, such as B. Globe flower , cotton grass , Turkish lily and various types of orchids . The yellow water lily was relocated from the old Schluchsee before it was dammed.

fauna

Renal spotted butterfly and piebald and mother-of-pearl butterflies

Around the Ursee Valley, butterflies can be found in various biotopes, such as in the shady forest area, on the sunny meadows and hedges in the valley, on the unmowed meadow edges and on the border between swamp and bog, of which more than 40 different species were found between 2007 and 2009 were documented: Among them are several white - and yellow pieces , several fritillary - and Perlmutterfalterarten , fritillary , copper butterfly , Zipfelfalter or other Bläulinge , as well as a full set of eyes moths , for example, Ringlet , Speckled wood , Heath , Meadow Brown , or Fleckenfalter such as Admiral , Little fox , mourning cloak , C-butterfly . In addition, map maps can be observed from April to November .

Dipper in severe frost

In addition to adders, for which the raised bog serves as a retreat, there is also the dipper ( Cinclus cinclus ), the only songbird that swims, all year round in the Urseetal.

Species protection

For several years now, Lenzkirch conservationists have been carrying out campaigns in which the Ursee Valley and neighboring valleys are freed from Indian balsam and other neophytes . This has so far prevented an infestation of the valley landscape by the invasive neophytes. With the help of a species protection network, attempts have been made since 2009 to record and coordinate these activities around the Feldberg .

tourism

The Urseetal is opened up for tourism by the community of Lenzkirch with leisure activities. Routes are signposted for Nordic walking . Not only the Urseerundweg, about 6.6 kilometers long, but also the route over the Raitenbucher Höhenweg offer different route variants. Crossings towards Feldberg / Schluchsee / Titisee-Neustadt / Bonndorf are signposted.

There are no specially designated parking spaces or refreshment stops, these can be found in Lenzkirch itself or in Raitenbuch.

In addition, if there is enough snow in the Urseetal, the municipality of Lenzkirch can create a cross-country ski trail for classic cross-country skiing. There is also a transition lane to the Pflumbergspurloipe, so that up to 20 km of trails are available.

legend

A legend describes the "immeasurable depth" of the Ursees and the "underground" connection with the Titisee . This connection to the Titisee is also mentioned in a legend in the Badischer Sagenbuch from 1899. In it a farmer plowed a meadow by the lake with a team of oxen. When they disobeyed, he cursed and wished that the devil would take them. Thereupon the oxen ran directly into the lake together with the tension and drowned in it. You couldn't see anything of the team until a few years later a Jochholz was washed up on Lake Titisee.

There is also a report from the shock rock above the lake, on which there is supposed to be a cave. Since bears are said to have had a shelter in it, it is called a bear cave . If you let a small stone fall through a crevice in this cave, then after a few minutes you should have heard a clear impact on the water of the Ursee, which is said to have stretched far below the earth to the west.

Finally, the deep primeval lake is described as a meeting place for witches. In addition, the rather good-natured Dengescheist and the malicious Tubacksbue ( tobacco boy ) are said to be up to mischief at the lake .

literature

• District Office for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management of the Freiburg Regional Council (ed.): The nature reserves in the Freiburg administrative region Jan Thorbecke, Ostfildern 1998, ISBN 3-7995-5171-9

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Ralf Morys: Lenzkirch: Ursee - a scenic gem. Badische Zeitung, July 20, 2016, accessed on May 11, 2017 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Manfred-G. Haderer: Lenzkirch: The first spruce trees have already been felled , Badische Zeitung, March 11, 2011, accessed on November 27, 2012
3. ↑ Profile at the Baden-Württemberg State Office
4. ↑ ^{a b} Manfred G. Haderer: TIME RUNS Lenzkirch in Transition: Stories and images of a century . Ed .: Municipality of Lenzkirch. Geiger-Verlag, Lenzkirch 2009, ISBN 978-3-86595-299-8 .
5. ↑ ^{a b} Ordinance from 1992
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Manfred-G. Haderer: Lenzkirch: Spruces disturb the idyll at Ursee , Badische Zeitung, May 21, 2010, accessed on November 27, 2012
7. ↑ Manfred-G. Haderer: Lenzkirch: Ein Rastplatz am Urseeblick , Badische Zeitung, May 31, 2013, accessed on August 11, 2013
8. ↑ Bernhard Kleine: Lenzkirch: Moraine path marks the end of the cultural landscape project. Badische Zeitung, October 28, 2015, accessed on May 11, 2017 . 
9. ↑ Manfred-G. Haderer: Lenzkirch: A new place to linger with a great Urseeblick , Badische Zeitung, accessed on November 27, 2012
10. ↑ Roland Kroell: Ursee near Lenzkirch: Geister am Moorsee , Badische Zeitung, January 22, 2008, August 11, 2013
11. ↑ Manfred-G. Haderer: Lenzkirch: Haslachtal should remain spring herb-free , Badische Zeitung, July 18, 2009, accessed on November 17, 2013
12. ↑ Species protection network Hochschwarzwald , freiburg-schwarzwald.de, accessed on November 17, 2013
13. ↑ Johannes Künzig , Schwarzwald Sagen , p. 162, 1930, Paul Zaunert (Ed.), Diederichs Verlag
14. ↑ ^{a b c} J. Waibel u. H. Flamm: Der Ursee near Lenzkirch , Badisches Sagenbuch, Freiburg 1899, accessed on November 27, 2012
15. ↑ Roland Kroell: Ursee near Lenzkirch: Geister am Moorsee , Badische Zeitung, January 22, 2008, accessed on November 27, 2012

Web links

Commons : Urseetal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Badische Zeitung February 19, 2007
• Möslehof in the Urseetal
• Now also deer in Lenzkirch
• Problems with the group water supply
• Bibliography in the profile of the State Office
• Profile of the nature reserve in the LUBW's list of protected areas