Hohe Schrecke

Last updated
Hohe Schrecke
Nausitz Hohe Schrecke.jpg
Highest point
Peak Wetzelshain [1]
Elevation 370.1 m above NHN
Dimensions
Area30–55 km2 (12–21 sq mi)(depending on definition)
Geography
Thuringia relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
StateCounties of Kyffhäuser and Sömmerda (Thuringia), Burgenlandkreis (Saxony-Anhalt) (Germany)
Range coordinates 51°15′30″N11°20′10″E / 51.2583°N 11.3361°E / 51.2583; 11.3361
Parent range Lower Unstrut Hill Country, Thuringian Basin (and surrounding plateaux)
Geology
Type of rock Bunter sandstone

The Hohe Schrecke is a ridge of hills in central Germany. It lies mainly within Thuringia; however, the southeastern part around Lossa belongs to the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Contents

Geography

Together with the Schmücke, the Finne and the Hainleite, the Hohe Schrecke forms the northern rim of the Thuringian Basin. It lies between Braunsroda, Reinsdorf, Gehofen, Donndorf, Wiehe, Lossa, Hauteroda and Oberheldrungen.

Hills and high points

View of the Hohe Schrecke from Bottendorf Bottendorf Blick zur Hohen Schrecke.jpg
View of the Hohe Schrecke from Bottendorf

The highest point of the Hohe Schrecke in its wider sense is the Wetzelshain (370.1 m). Among its hills and high points are the following– sorted by height in metres (m) above sea level (NHN; unless otherwise stated [1] ):

See also → List of mountains and hills in Thuringia

History

The Hohe Schrecke belonged to the heartland of the Duchy of Thuringia and had powerful hill forts and fortifications on its perimeter (e.g. the Monraburg). In the High Middle Ages, the area belonged to the Counts of Beichling, the Counts of Wiehe and the Landgraves of Thuringia (Raspenburg). The roads running through the area were controlled by other castles, including Rabenswalde Castle. Economic and land development also led to the establishment of settlements and villages within this hill country, of which the deserted village of Wetzelshain bears witness. For several centuries, the Hohe Schrecke was used extensively by the Werther Forest administration and until its uncompensated expropriation in 1945, the majority of the forest belonged to the Werthern-Beichlingen family. In the 1930s, a munitions facility for the German Luftwaffe was built in the eastern part of the Hoher Schrecke, east of Lossa. Ammunition was stored in above-ground bunkers with earthen embankments. These were blown up in 1945 by the Red Army, who disposed of ammunition supplies in the old potash shafts.

Between 1946 and 1948, the Soviet occupation forces cleared around 2,000 of the 4,900 hectares of forest to create a military training area surrounded by a restricted military zone. In some cases, the forest was allowed to grow back. In the early 1990s, Soviet troops stationed near Lossa withdrew. The LEG in Thuringia were ordered to clear the area of ammunition and to seal rocket shafts and bunkers. 3,000 hectares yet to be safely cleared in 2010. [3] The forest was then to be sold. Around 2005, the decision was made to implement a major nature conservation project called the "Hohe Schrecke - Old Forest with a Future" (see below). [4]

Flora and fauna

The landscape on the Hohe Schrecke is dominated by large, unified stands of deciduous forest, especially beech woods. In the eastern part there are areas that were used as a military training area until the withdrawal of Soviet forces and were kept free of trees for that purpose.

Primarily because of its unity the Hohe Schrecke provides a habitat for the wildcat, black stork and red deer. More than 500 different species of macrofungi also grow here.

Nature reserve

The majority of the Hohe Schrecke has been designated as a nature reserve, which covers an area of some 35 km2. [5]

The nature reserve was notified to the European Commission as part of the Hohe Schrecke - Finne Flora-Fauna Habitat Region. It is coextensive with the Hohe Schrecke - Finne bird reserve. [1]

The conservation project "Hohe Schrecke - Old Forest with a Future" (Hohe Schrecke - Alter Wald mit Zukunft) was one of five winners of the national competition for nature conservation projects and rural development. As a result, it has received resources from the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuringia</span> State in Germany

Thuringia, officially the Free State of Thuringia, is a state of central Germany, covering 16,171 square kilometres (6,244 sq mi), the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eisenach</span> Town in Thuringia, Germany

Eisenach is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located 50 kilometres west of Erfurt, 70 km southeast of Kassel and 150 km northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situated near the former Inner German border. A major attraction is Wartburg castle, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

Gotha is a Kreis (district) in western central Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Sömmerda, the Kreis-free city Erfurt, Ilm-Kreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen and the Wartburgkreis.

The Kyffhäuserkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis and Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis and Eichsfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sömmerda</span> Town in Thuringia, Germany

Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the district of Sömmerda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmenau</span> Town in Thuringia, Germany

Ilmenau is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately 33 km south of Erfurt and 135 km north of Nuremberg within the Ilm valley at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest at an elevation of 500 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kölleda</span> Town in Thuringia, Germany

Kölleda is a small rural town in Thuringia. The municipality belongs to the district of Sömmerda and is located about ten kilometres east of the district town of Sömmerda on the edge of the Thuringian Basin. It is the third largest municipality in the district with about 6300 inhabitants. Kölleda is the seat of the Kölleda administrative community, although it does not belong to it. The inhabitants are called "Kölledaer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weißensee, Thuringia</span> Town in Thuringia, Germany

Weißensee is a town in the district of Sömmerda, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 6 km northwest of Sömmerda, and 25 km north of Erfurt. The former municipality Herrnschwende was merged into Weißensee in January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuringian Basin</span>

The Thuringian Basin is a depression in the central and northwest part of Thuringia in Germany which is crossed by several rivers, the longest of which is the Unstrut. It stretches about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from north to south and around 120 kilometres (75 mi) from east to west. Its height varies from about 150 to 250 m above sea level (NN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schmücke</span>

The Schmücke, also called the Kahle Schmücke, is a hill ridge up to 380.1 m above sea level (NHN) and only about 7 km² in area. It lies within the districts of Kyffhäuserkreis and Sömmerda in the German state of Thuringia.

The Finne is a ridge of hills in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia up to 370.1 m above sea level (NHN) and 23 km long.

The Hainleite is a Muschelkalk ridge of hills up to 463.2 m above sea level (NN) in northern Thuringia, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hohes Holz</span>

The Hohes Holz is an extended forest area on the western rim of the otherwise open, agriculturally intensively-farmed Magdeburg Börde region in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Artern was a Kreis (district) in the Bezirk (district) of Halle in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). From 1990 to 1994 it persisted as Landkreis Artern in the state of Thüringen. It occupied land that is for the most part modern Kyffhäuserkreis in Thüringen.

<i>Naturschutzgebiet</i> Category of protected area within Germanys Federal Nature Conservation Act

A Naturschutzgebiet is a category of protected area within Germany's Federal Nature Conservation Act . Although often translated as 'Nature Reserve' in English, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) refers to them as 'Nature Conservation Areas'. It meets the criteria of an IUCN Category IV Habitat and Species Management Area.

Wetzelshain is the name of a late mediaeval abandoned village on a plateau in the central part of the Hohe Schrecke ridge in the county of Sömmerda in the German state of Thuringia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Großer Finsterberg</span>

The Großer Finsterberg is a mountain, 944.1 m above NHN, in the Thuringian Forest not far from the villages of Stützerbach and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig. It is the third highest peak in the German state of Thuringia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway</span> Railway line in Germany

The Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway is a two-track, electrified railway, which is located mainly in the north of the German state of Thuringia; a small section is in southwestern Saxony-Anhalt. It represents the southern section of the Erfurt–Magdeburg(–Berlin) connection, the shortest regional connection between these major Thuringian and Saxony-Anhalt cities. The timetable number of 335 applies to the whole route from Erfurt to Magdeburg, including the Sangerhausen–Erfurt section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naturschutzgebiet Leutratal und Cospoth</span> Nature reserve in Germany

NSG Leutratal und Cospoth is an important nature reserve in Germany, southwest of the town of Jena. The reserve is maintained by Naturschutzbund Deutschland. The reserve contains the valley of the river Leutra and beech forest. The nature reserve measures 582.9 hectares. The bedrock is Muschelkalk (limestone). In 2018, 23% of the reserve was pine forest and 16% broadleaf trees, 23% was xerothermic meadow, 9% brome semi-dry grassland and 14% agricultural use. Rare tree species growing in the forests and on the slope include wild pear and wild service tree.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
  2. ↑ Thüringer Landesvermessungsamt (ed.), "Amtliche topographische Karten Thüringen: LK Sömmerda, Ilmkreis, Kreisfreie Stadt Erfurt", CD-ROM Reihe Top10 (in German), vol. CD 3, Erfurt
  3. ↑ Dr. Dierk Conrady / Stiftung "David"/Hohe Schrecke: am 19. Mai 2010 in Erfurt.
  4. ↑ According to the website for the project the conservation and development plan was first drawn up in 2009. "Hohe Schrecke - Das Projekt" . Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  5. ↑ Hohe Schrecke (NSG 375) (und andere Naturschutzgebiete) in: "Naturschutzgebiete… im Landkreis Sömmerda". Thüringer Landesanstalt für Umwelt und Geologie (TLUG). June 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2011-04-13. The NSG includes an extensive complex of very structurally rich, extensive and undivided mixed beech forests (including woodruff-beech forests, grove rush-sessile oak mixed forests, sedge-alder-ash forests) with a remarkable range of species. It also represents a particularly valuable breeding area for wildcat
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.