Weißbachtal (Zittau Mountains)
The Weißbachtal ( Czech Údolí Bílého Potoka ) is a valley south of the city of Zittau in the easternmost part of the Zittau Mountains . The state border with the Czech Republic runs along the 3.5 km long valley bottom that rises towards the south .
geography
The Weißbachtal begins on the outskirts of Hartau at 290 m and ends at 478 m above sea level on a flat pass of the main ridge of the Zittau / Lusatian Mountains, over which the watershed between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea runs. It is surrounded by six mountains, Mühlsteinberg (482 m) and Straßberg (538 m) on the German, as well as Loupežnický vrch ( Raubschlossberg , 529 m), Podkova ( Hufeisenberg , 518 m), Popova skála ( Pfaffenstein , 565 m) and Sedlecký Špičák ( Lindenberg , 544 m) on the Czech side. With the Kuhstein (475 m), which is also known as the Kuhberg, there is another, smaller mountain, which is located approximately in the middle of the upper valley basin.
geology
The Weißbachtal was substantially in Pleistozän by erosion of from Turon derived sandstone . The Scandinavian ice masses crossed the main ridge of the mountains here during the Elster cold period . The softer sandstone was removed, exposing the harder rock formations, which were given their current shape through weathering. With the peak of the Loupežnický vrch there is also a basalt breakthrough from the Tertiary period .
flora
The valley is completely forested and is used for forestry . In addition to larger spruce stands, there are also isolated, unspoilt mixed forests.
fauna
In addition to the animal species widespread in Central Europe, nesting sites for rare bird species such as the peregrine falcon , eagle owl , pygmy owl and black stork can be found in the rock groups of the Weißbach valley . To protect them, areas in the upper Weißbachtal were previously designated as reserves.
tourism
There is a dense network of hiking trails in the Weißbachtal and its surroundings. There are three cross-border hiking trails on which crossing the border on foot / ski or by bike is allowed. Popular destinations for hikers are the Fuchskanzel on the German side and the Popova skála (Pfaffenstein) on the Czech side . Some, mostly smaller climbing rocks are distributed in the upper valley basin up to the surrounding mountains. The most striking are the eagle owl stones and the flour sack on the German side, the Pfaffenstein on the Czech side and the Bohemian Gate (Česká brána).
history
In the Middle Ages, a trade route ran through the Weißbach valley, the so-called Lausitzer Strasse from Bohemia from Jablonné v Podještědí (German fork) to Zittau. On the top of Loupežnický vrch stood the castle, now known as Větrov (Wind Castle), which was probably built to protect this trade route. At the time of the Bohemian King Johann von Luxemburg in the 14th century, the street, later called Gabler Straße , was diverted to the shorter route via Lückendorf , so that it no longer ran through the Weißbachtal. The castle, the real name of which has not been passed down, was probably destroyed by the Zittauern in 1442 and later torn down. The basalt quarry on Loupežnický vrch removed the last traces of the castle. In the 19th century, quarries were operated on Mühlsteinberg and Lindeberg. In 1874, the city of Zittau in the Weißbachtal began building systems for drinking water, which were completed in 1876. To date, 16 wells and a water collector for part of the Zittau water supply are in operation in the Weißbachtal.
Special
The asymmetry of the west and east sides of the Weißbach valley is characteristic. While the western side is more structured and has steep slopes over 100 m high with cliffs, the eastern side is less structured and sloping upwards. Similar to the Oybiner valley basin, the valley entrance is comparatively narrow with steep slopes, which is due to the thermally hardened sandstone here on the Lusatian Fault . The slopes are covered with countless mostly smaller boulders at this point. In the lower Weißbachtal, the Weißbach (Bílý Potok in Czech) rises from a scree step 370 m above sea level, which flowed into the Neisse near Alt-Hartau until 1874 and was then completely diverted over the Weißbachgraben into the Pfaffenbach due to lignite mining . Since the drinking water wells in the headwaters were put into operation, the stream has dried up in parts and at times. Further down the valley, it is fed again by the overflow from the drinking water collector. Compared to before 1874, the Weißbach carries little water. The stream ends today in an area of collapsed old mine workings near the state border between Loučná ( Görsdorf ) and Hartau.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 49 ′ 57 " N , 14 ° 48 ′ 9.4" E