Großes Heiliges Meer

Lake Nature Reserve Holy Sea - Heupen

The Great Holy Sea is the largest natural lake in North Rhine- Westphalia. It is eponymous for the nature reserve Holy Sea - Heupen in which it is located. It was created several hundred years ago by a sinkhole, a tragic tale explains the emergence of a lewd monastery at this point.

Location

The Great Holy Sea is located in the Plantlünner sandy plain, a Pleistocene sand landscape, which is attributed to the North German Plain. A little south of the Holy Sea of Lower Saxony Bergland begins with the Sheep Mountain.

Even the boundaries of the districts Venki, Threcwiti and Bursibant met each other in the middle of the lake.

A few kilometers east of the lake is the village Obersteinbeck the community Recke, which includes half of the lake. West of the lake is the town of Hopsten to which the lake is usually counted because most of the reserve lies on Hopstener reason. The address of the Biological Station is Recke, since this is on the basis of the community Recke.

The sea Becke flowed through to 1968, the Holy Sea. Due to the eutrophication of the lake and the subsequent siltation of the lake, she was turned over 150 m to the east at the edge of the nature reserve.

East of the Great Sea, Holy is the Little Saints sea, which is privately owned, but also is a nature reserve. Southwest are the Erdfallsee and Heideweiher. The Erdfallsee was taken on April 14, 1913 when the last major sinkhole in reserve. The Heideweiher however, may not caused by sinkhole, but by Windausblasung in the sandy landscape.

Around the Sacred Sea, there are numerous major and minor depressions, which point to the large-scale subsidence zone, which runs until Herthasee in Uffeln.

Naming

There are several legends about the origin of the name, the oldest written set comes from the published in 1825 book Münsterische history, myths and legends. Therefore stood on the site of the Holy Sea a monastery with vicious living monks. As punishment was the monastery, together with the ground on which it stood, sunk into the ground. Even today should be able to see the monastery at lake bottom.

Dolle has attempted to determine the true historical background. So there is a belonging to the monastery monastic Will " Thankulashuti " has disappeared from all lifting registers starting at about 940. Accordingly, the Holy Sea was formed about the year 900 However, this relationship is uncertain, as there is no direct evidence for the disappearance.

In a document from Emperor Otto 15 July 965 the Great Holy Sea is named as border of three provinces Venki, Threcwiti and Bursibant. The sea is named as Drevanameri, which is translated as ' Three borders the sea '.

The term Holy Sea was quickly adopted by the people. However, the root word does not come from "holy", but either of the Low German, hel 'or' hil ' for " bad " or the altsächsichen, hola ' to "break", "hole", "depth". Thus, the name means "break the sea " or "deep sea ". The term has also undergone a sea change and meant in the Middle Ages "lake".

Formation

The emergence of the Holy sea many centuries ago is due to the " Holy Sea Zone", a 2 km wide and 5 km long geological subsidence zone northwest along the mountain sheep. It extends from the Recker / Hopstener Aa behind the little saint sea to Uffelner Moor. Some very small sinkholes are but partially possible and already happened more often outside of this strip. as November 1980 in Hörstel or on January 28, 1934 in Steinbeck.

Due to the postponement of the sheep mountain through the Bramscher Pluton the geology of this area has been instrumental in shaping. For some of the valleys, especially in the area of Uffeln are Steinsalzeinschalungen, which were washed, responsible for subsidence. Others, like the Holy sea itself, are due to karst favorable rocks of the Mündener marl.

The Mündener marl is a layer sequence of the Malm, in the anhydrite and gypsum - fiber seams are incorporated. The water solubility of anhydrite causes cavities, which are not viable due to the overlying Quaternary sand and collapse. This can be done slowly, as in some areas of reduction in the nature reserve, as well as jerk abruptly as in Erdfallsee.

The great saint sea probably had a Vorgängersee, who was here before the actual event reduction. Probably the flat reed zone on the northeastern shore of this lake is a rest.

Nature

Plant

The great saint sea is home to a large number of endangered plant species. The progressive eutrophication of the sea Becke could be delayed by the relocation of the watercourse. Threatened plant stock is increasingly caused by agriculture, which contributes to Nähstoffeintrag in the near vicinity of the lake by fertilization of the fields.

The lake extends an alder swamp forest, which almost surrounds the entire lake. Up to the protected status of the lake have little or only small trees were on the edge of the bank, the trees is a product of nature conservation by encouraging the development of the lake is largely up to you. A small gap to the moorland towards to improve water circulation by wind and adjust the oxygen content of the lake at full depth.

Animals

The great saint sea is an attraction especially for waterfowl. So here Stock and teals, water rails, pond and coots, grebes and many more. A particularly spectacle is offered in the spring or autumn, when several thousand starlings visit here in Schilffröhricht their sleeping quarters.

Of fish can be found in great saint sea especially the eel, pike, perch, roach, tench, carp and rudd.

Also found in and around the lake, a large number of endangered beetles and amphibians.