Upper Lusatian Gefilde

The Oberlausitzer realm (sometimes called Bautzen climes, Upper Sorbian Hornjołužiska pahórčina ) is a Saxon natural area near the border triangle with the Czech Republic and Poland. Wide-area it is assigned to the Saxon Lößgefilden and the western Sudetes.

Natural space

The Oberlausitzer climes is a 12-15 km wide strip between the Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond area and the Upper Lusatian Mountains. In the center of this area is Bautzen. To the west it extends almost to Kamenz zoom and borders the West Lusatian hill and mountain country, the area around Lobau forms the eastern border of the natural area Eastern Upper Lusatia. It is characterized by an undulating hills with altitudes between 170 and 200 m. The area is partially close of rivers, for example, cut the Spree and the Löbauer water. The upcoming bedrock, the Lusatian granodiorite, but also the large-scale developments of the Saale ice age melt water and the Elster glaciation are veiled by Lößsedimenten. The Lößmächtigkeiten barely reach 2 meters, with the core of the monastery care also 3-5 m. By solifluction and Abspülungsvorgänge the Lössderivate are largely enkalkt the type of brown and Schwemmlösse, verlehmt and compacted. Some valleys with Engtalabschnitten, called scales, originated in the Pleistocene at breakthrough by the granodiorite bars.

Compared to the west and south -lying mountains coincides with 650-700 mm a lesser by about 100 to 150 mm of precipitation. The proportion of forest is relatively greatly reduced down to residues in ravines and on Grundgebirgsdurchragungen (lower soil fertility ). Therefore, the conservation aims in the context of the biotope network in some areas of small -scale reforestation. The dominant potential natural vegetation ( PNV ) is the wood - cleaver -hornbeam - oak forest, some with quaking grass - sedge.

Historical Significance

The excellent arable land formed the basis for the age- old arable land in Bautzen (see also Country Budissin ). The Oberlausitzer realm is significantly longer inhabited in relevant scale than the adjacent natural areas and was a major center of the Lusatian culture. From here, starting around 800 AD expanded first Slavic, and later German settlers in the adjacent natural areas.

Because of its location between the rugged mountains in the south and the swamps and forests in the north of the Upper Lusatian fruitful place was early on a transit area for important Central European trains in east-west direction, especially the Via Regia.