Großes Torfmoor

The Reserve Big peat bog (also: Hiller Moor or Nettelstedter Moor ) is a raised bog in the northeast of North Rhine -Westphalia in the communities Luebbecke and Hille. The bog is situated in a valley between Wiehengebirge and Mittelland canal and is 467 ha with the most important peat bog Westphalia.

Location

The Moor is located in the border area of the city and the community Luebbecke Hille in the Minden -Lübbecke. In the north it is bounded by the Mittelland Canal. For several years, which is subsequent area, a 2 to 3 km wide strip south of the canal, the Minden meadows east including but where is agriculturally unimproved wet meadows, calculated to the " nature reserve Large peat bog ".

Importance as a European Reserve

As an important habitat protected area Large peat bog is now one of the projects supported by EU funding Natura 2000 protected areas. With its high moor typical animal and plant world, the Large peat bog has a pan-European importance for nature conservation. The receipt of this important natural region was supported by public funds through financing from the European Union.

Formation

About 11,000 years ago, the Weser formed a Rinnensee in the area of ​​today's Moores. The Weser was then prevented by glaciers from taking a northern course as it is today, and went north of the Wiehengebirge in a westerly direction. When the glaciers melted away and the Weser flowed northward again, silted the Rinnensee and was a bog, the over 20 kilometers north of the Wiehengebirge dragged parallel to these mountains. The maximum width of this " Urmoores " at that time was three kilometers. First, a fen but developed, then gradually a high moor, the remains of which are now referred to as Large peat bog.

Until the 1950s, the marsh was drained. Intensive drainage began in the early 20th century. The numerous and rich fishing waters on the moor were later drained into the Flöthe in the Bastau. Today's bog lakes are only a small remnant of this pristine lakes and predominantly remains of the peat, so no natural lakes. Before draining the marsh had a thickness of 9 to twelve meters. Numerous areas were converted into usable extensive heaths. In the bog peat was probably stung by the 17th century to the mid 20th century. The peat was used as fuel or as a construction material for infill of half-timbered houses. Later, the racking has as Therapeutic mud for resorts of the environment, eg Bad Oeynhausen used. Testimony are numerous ponds; and is the largest body of water is an unnamed lake of 9 ha, all other ponds are smaller than 1 ha result of the expulsion of the nature reserve many drainage channels were sealed, fed dams and the atypical trees felled, they would be dead in the now again significantly wetter peat bog. In exchange, but typical swamp forest trees such as alders were planted.

Overlooking the central area of the moor - The boundary between the city and the community Luebbecke Hille runs in the middle of the lake

Due to the Moor of trail runs partly over wooden planks. As in the background you see, are the edges of the bog clear birch forests

Reverse direction of view: historical markers modeled characters and observation tower

Ecological Significance

Large peat bogs and Old Moor form the Bastauniederung essential core areas of the biotope network between the Weser valley and the Bastau - Hunte Corridor and in this respect are of paramount importance. For the nature of the space Dumber - Geest lowlands it represents the typical habitat of a raised bog, which also has birch bog woodland and extensive wet heaths addition to the actual raised bog areas with an extremely rich vegetation structure complex. The area offers numerous animal and plant species - including many rare and endangered species, such as Snipe, teal and teal and moor frog - a breeding, feeding, transit and settlement area of the first rank. Both ornithological and phytosociological this bog may be safely classified into the series of internationally important wetlands. For this reason, the great peat bog in 1980 as a nature reserve. The core area, the actual high moorland, covers an area of 3.5 km ² ( of which 2.3 km ² Lübbecker and 1.2 km ² Hiller Stadt-/Gemeindegebiet ). Meanwhile, the entire nature reserve covers the other hand, around 20 km ². The fauna includes, but is the white stork in the Minden- Lübbecke has its main distribution point within Westphalia.

Close to the Moor is already the natural park Wiehengebirge ( in the south), the Nature Reserves Old Moor and open marsh ( in the north) and the skyscrapers along the canal conservation areas Gehlen Becker mash, Rough Horst - Shepherd Meadows, Ellerburger meadows and Bastauwiesen. Overall, the large peat bog is therefore in a large-scale habitat connectivity.

Tourist importance

Four well-marked hiking trails ( Moor - experience path) with shelters open the prudent visitors a unique landscape. In the area of the central moor these paths run over three dams that were built from 1843. Along the way there are a few developed Towers, which allow an overview of the moor.