Gäuboden

The Gäuboden or Dungau is a region of Lower Bavaria with no clearly defined geographic and cultural boundaries, the south of the Danube and the Bavarian Forest stretches over a width of about 15 kilometers down the Danube starting over Wörth an der Donau and as far as Künzing reaching. The largest city in Gäuboden is Straubing, which is often referred to as the center of the Gäuboden. The Gäuboden one of the largest Lössgebieten southern Germany.

Geography and Geology

The area and boundaries of the Gäuboden are not precisely defined. The various information that can be found in the literature, however, agree on the following points agreed:

• The Gäuboden located in the Danube plain,
• Left side of the Danube the Gäuboden is limited by the Bayerischer Wald,
• Right side of the Danube it is limited by the Danube River Isar Hill Country and Isar -Inn- hills.

The southeastern boundary is relatively clear to define, because the Danube plain between Osterhofen and Vilshofen narrowed. As border towns Künzing or Pleinting are usually called. However, the northwestern limit varies much more: even Regensburg as to Gäuboden is sometimes referred belonging, so the beginning of the Gäuboden located approximately at the boundary between the districts of Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate, near Wörth an der Donau and Pfatter.

Due to the mineral-rich, well-aerated loess fertile and relatively easy to work soils were found in the Danube - level form. One speaks therefore in conjunction with the Gäuboden often of the " granary of Bavaria". Because of the prosperity they talked about 1900 by "peasant kings ". In addition to classic cereals and potatoes are also corn and sugar beet in this " agricultural steppe " grown (sugar factories in Plattling and until the fall of 2007 in Regensburg ).

The Gäuboden in the literature

Since the loess begins to Regensburg and before Vilshofen an der Donau ( Pleintinger Enge) ends, you could also specify these limits for the Gäuboden, and in fact can be found in the literature slightly different information. For example, speaks FJ Bronner in Bavarian country and people (about 1900) of the " fertile plain which stretches from Regensburg to Osterhofen " that is compared with the present tradition of Gäuboden by 10 to 20 km would be upriver moved.

Johann Pezzl described in 1784 in his journey through the Baier 's circle as the Dungau

Formation

Fundamental to the emergence of Gäuboden was the lifting of the Alps with a concomitant reduction in the northward stretched to the much older Bavarian Forest. A natural monument old surveys that sank is, for example, the snake mountain south of Deggendorf. During the last ice age ( Würm ) storms out largely sparsely vegetated landscapes blew a lot of chalky dust in low-lying Gäuboden, from which then made ​​up to six meters thick loess. Since about 5500 BC, the Gäuboden is populated and used for agriculture.

Weather and Climate

Because of its low position (320 m above sea level. NN ) and because it is protected from strong winds in the north of the Bavarian Forest and the south by the Lower Bavarian hill country, the Gäuboden has a mild and relatively low rainfall climate, but with a strong tendency to fog in spring and autumn.

Plant and animal world

Despite the intensive agricultural use of Gäuboden still offers many rare plant and animal species habitat. In the area of backwaters various pondweed species occur, to chow, water spring, Common Frog bite and crab claw. On meadows Siberian iris, Mehlprimel, Low salsify, Common adder's tongue and mosquito Händelwurz can be found. Semi-dry grasslands are inhabited by rare species of orchids such as military orchid, Burnt Orchid, 's Small orchid, Bug Orchid, Butterfly Orchid Zweiblättriger, pyramids Dog Wurz and other plants such as rosemary - daphne and Spring Gentian. In the few remnants of oak-hornbeam forests of the Türkenbund happens in the small areas of existing pine forests have the frequent occurrence of the Vistula cherry on.

The marsh frog has in the area of the Danube a regional distribution center of gravity. In a study in 1976, 26 species of fish were in the Danube near Vilshofen found 19 near Straubing In the area between Niederachdorf and Vilshofen were found for the period 1900-1977 252 bird species, of which 159 were detected as breeding birds. Among other things, include the Bluethroat, the curlew and redshank of the special features.