Lüneburg Heath Nature Park

IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape

Heath at Niederhaverbeck

The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is an area of 1070 km ² in the northern Lower Saxony. Support of the Natural Park is nature park Lüneburg Heath eV. In the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park 90,000 people live.

• 7.1 Heath potatoes

• 8.1 Hiking
• 8.2 cycling
• 8.3 riding
• 8.4 Geocaching

Location

The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is part of the holiday region of Lüneburg Heath, in the triangle between Hamburg, Bremen and Hanover. It extends from Buchholz in the North Heath in the north to the south of Soltau and Schneverdingen in the west to the borders of the city of Lüneburg in the east. It covers parts of the three districts of Lüneburg, Harburg and Heide circle. The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park consists of 35 municipalities. In the heart of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is the about 234 km ² nature reserve Lueneburg Heath (also nature reserve Lueneburg Heath called ). This was until February 2007 identical to the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park, and formed one of the smallest national parks in Germany. In February 2007, the Nature Park has been expanded to four times its area and now includes more than 1070 km ².

History

Pastor Wilhelm Bode convinced the Natural Park Association ( VNP ) in 1910 in the Lüneburg Heath to become active. The VNP bought surfaces on to the Wilseder mountain. Thus, the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath was. This area was declared by the Prussian government in 1922 to the nature reserve. Alfred Toepfer, which is since 1954 Chairman of the VNP, the idea of nature parks sat through more and more in Germany. The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park was the first natural park in Germany. The VNP will initially assume the sponsorship of the Natural Park. At this time the area of the nature park is still the same as the area of the nature reserve. 2006, the club Naturparkregion Lüneburg Heath is founded eV, in order to take over the ownership and to promote regional sustainable development of the region. A year later, the area of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is extended by four times and the sponsorship is accepted eV of the natural park Lüneburg Heath. The new ownership of the club Naturparkregion Lüneburg Heath eV tourism development, improving quality of life and the marketing of regional products of the region by actively working with projects is ensured to promote.

Cultural landscape

The cultural landscape of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park consists of heathland, moors and forests. These sensitive cultural landscapes represent an important habitat for rare plants and animals constitutes a rule of thumb, the heath in many areas of natural parks blooms between August 8 and September 9 of this year. Due to weather conditions, the Heideblüte also start more than a week later.

Heather

The heather ( Calluna vulgaris) is also popularly called heather. Your generic name " Calluna Vulgaris " derives from the Greek word kallyno 'which means something like " I clean / I sweep ." The heather determined in the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath the landscape. It is an evergreen dwarf shrub with bright purple flowers in up to 15 cm long, einseitswendigen, dense clusters. The nodding flowers are about 4 mm long.

Bell heather

Preferred habitats of bell heather ( Erica tetralix ) are wet heaths, meadows, moorlands, thickets and marsh forests. Was by drainage of areas and it is therefore at risk again and again. How the heather looks for cross-leaved heath nutrient habitats from. The bell heather is an evergreen dwarf shrub that reaches a height of 15 to 50 centimeters. The inflorescence is capitate - doldig and consists of five to fifteen individual flowers. The crown of the flower is 6-9 mm long, pink and oval cylindrical.

Juniper

The common juniper (Juniperus communis) is often to be found here. For the evergreen, light and heat the greenhouse in need of heathland is an ideal habitat. It is encountered in both narrow, meter high column and Shrubby or flat growing on the ground. His sharp needles keep from moorland sheep, deer and cattle and protect neighboring trees from browsing. For birds and insects, he also provides a habitat. The common juniper is led by the World Conservation Union IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but not designated as endangered ( "Least Concern" ).

Black Grouse

Through efforts of the Association Natural Park among others is the black grouse in the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath and the core of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park to find it again. Due to the remoteness and the good food and space conditions accommodates this part of the Lüneburg Heath, the largest contiguous Birkhuhnbestand the Central European lowlands. The Black Grouse is a pheasant -like breeding bird, the preferred bog and heathland with birch, spruce growth and more diverse herbaceous layer. By human influences are hardly available habitats. Even natural enemies such as the fox or feral pose a threat to the black grouse Represents the Black Grouse is in Germany on the Red List with the hazard level 2 ( high risk )

Nature Reserves

In the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park are 20 nature reserves.

Nature reserves with an area of ​​more than 1 km ² are:

• Nature reserve Lueneburg Heath, 234 km ²
• Kiehn Moor, 4 km ²
• Upper Fintautal, 4 km ²
• Valley of the Little Örtze, 3 km ²
• Riensheide with Stichter lake and saw Moor 2.5 km ²
• Upper Wümme valley, 2 km ²
• Brambosteler Moor, 1 km ²

Landscape protection areas

In the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park are 56 landscape protection areas.

LSG with an area of ​​more than 5 km ² are:

• Garlstorfer forest and other environment 103 km ²
• Munster Oerrel 35 km ²
• Sottorfer bush 26 km ²
• Schwindebeck 17 km ²
• Rose Garden Kiekeberg Stuvenwald 58.69 km ²
• Woodlands on the edge of Raubkammer 8 km ²
• Woodland between Glüsingen and Barnstedt 8 km ²
• Riensheide 8 km ²
• Lohbergen 5 km ²
• Spills forest 5 km ²

Natural Monuments

• Boulders, the century stone at Soderstorf
• Linden, oak, beech, spruce, juniper, Gagel stock at Wesseloh, Holly at Soderstorf
• Walking blocks in the bush and at home Egestorf (see Erratic blocks)
• The source of Schwindebaches ( a left tributary of the Luhe ), which is one of the most powerful sources of northern Germany (60 ltr / sec), it is since 1936 a nature reserve
• A clay pit at Lieste
• The " Gratuitous Kuhle " in Soltau. A circular soil hopper of about 40 m in diameter, with an almost circular pond of about 5 m depth and 20 m in diameter. The water level is 1 ½ m above the near Böhme. Although he has neither purchases nor a drain he has not changed much. The sinkhole is caused by Salzauswaschungen in the ground and provides a geological karst form of nationwide significance dar.
• Schwalinger Flatt at New Churches ( flat Heideweiher from the Ice Age )

Economy

Typical products of the regional economy are as heather honey, moorland sheep meat and the heath potatoes.

Heide- potatoes

Since the spring of 2011, the Heide- potato carries the additional designation PGI ( Protected Geographical Indication). At the same time, the protective association was " Luneburg Heath potatoes eV " founded, whose goal is an advocacy for producers, processors and marketers of Luneburg Heath potatoes PGI build. The association will also organize the monitoring procedure for the new product, regulate the licensing and open up new markets.

Landscape Bound Tourism

The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park has various possibilities of recreation to offer:

Hiking

In the Natural Park there are five themed hiking trails:

• Heath Puzzle, 55 km
• Purple Coronation, 46 km
• Cultural boulders, 88 km
• Course of moments, 55 km
• Pastor Bode - way, 44 km

Furthermore, these long distance trails lead through the natural park:

• European long-distance path E1
• Freudenthal - way
• Hermann- Billung - way
• Heidschnuckenweg

Cycling

Cyclists have 3 themed routes to choose from, which are an alternative to discover themselves as circular course.

Heide experience, 100 km or be abbreviated

Heide- art, 54 km or 100 km loop track

Each route has its own Leitplakette facing the cyclist at each bifurcation the way.

Riding

For riders nature park has 18 days routes and 3 multi-day itineraries to choose from.

Geocaching

Also for friends of the modern treasure hunt, the so-called "Geocaching ", has the natural park, in addition to official geocaches, some geocaches to offer in collaboration with dandelions.