Elm-Lappwald Nature Park
Encyclopedia
The Elm-Lappwald Nature Park is a nature park
in southwest Lower Saxony
, east of Brunswick
in central Germany
. It is dominated by the forested hill ranges of the Elm, Lappwald
and Dorm as well as the region known as the Helmstedt
Bowl (Helmstedter Mulde).
and to the north by Wolfsburg
. The A 2 motorway from Hanover to Berlin cuts through the northern part of the park. Within the nature park are the following hill ranges, landscapes and forests:
From a landscape point of view the nature park belongs to the Eastphalian Uplands. It is located between the highlands of the Harz
to the south and the Lüneburg Heath
on the North German Plain
to the north. Climatically the park lies in the transition zone between the maritime and continental
zones.
and European Geopark
of Harz–Brunswick Land–Eastphalia.
up to 3 metres thick in the southern part of the Helmstedt Bowl and in the entire Schöppenstedt Basin, on which fertile black
and brown earth
s were formed. During periods of thaw, the ice sheets created the detailed shape of the land. A thick deciduous vegetation developed in the time after the ice age and covered the whole area of the present-day park. Their species matched the soil conditions. For example, in the northern part of the park oak and hornbeam woods alternated with beech and oak woods and with carr
s on the wet,peaty areas (fen
s). In the southern part, beech forests predominated.
graves. The settlement of this region by man changed the natural, vegetative cover, albeit the first settlers in the middle Stone Age
, who were hunters, fishermen and gatherers, did not made any significant contribution to these changes.
The hollows
in the area with their deposits of loess
soils encouraged early arable farming during the Stone Age
.
The dense woods were cleared very early on. The greatest loss of woodland occurred during the time of the great clearances (900 to 1200 AD), when the natural landscape was "brought under cultivation". Today place names ending in -rode, -hörst and -feld go back to this time of settlement. The Cistercian monks of Mariental
in particular established numerous 'clearance villages'. Abbenrode, Hemkenrode and Erkerode on the northwest slope of the Elm and Rotenkamp on the Rieseberg date back to that time. In the Middle Ages
there were clearly more settlements in the region. Almost half of them were given up again by their owners and fell into ruin, becoming abandoned villages. There is a particularly large number of these in the Lappwald, on the Dorm and on the southwest slope of the Elm. With its good soils, the area continues to be used for arable farming. Since the Middle Ages the towns of Königslutter
, Schöningen
, Schöppenstedt
and Helmstedt
, all within the nature park, have been steeped in history. A key factor in the early development of Helmstedt (already established by 952) was its location on the trade route from Brunswick to Magdeburg, the present B 1 federal highway
.
have been described as "idyllic".
Nature park
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic purposes....
in southwest Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, east of Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
in central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is dominated by the forested hill ranges of the Elm, Lappwald
Lappwald
The Lappwald is a heavily wooded range of hills, 20 km long and up to 5 km wide, in central Germany. It stretches northwards from the town of Helmstedt. The border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt runs through the woods, of which about three quarters is on Lower Saxon terrain...
and Dorm as well as the region known as the Helmstedt
Helmstedt
Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
Bowl (Helmstedter Mulde).
Location
The nature park has an area of about 470 square kilometres (181.5 sq mi) and lies within the districts of Helmstedt and Wolfenbüttel. It is bordered to the west by the city of BrunswickBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
and to the north by Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
. The A 2 motorway from Hanover to Berlin cuts through the northern part of the park. Within the nature park are the following hill ranges, landscapes and forests:
- Elm
- LappwaldLappwaldThe Lappwald is a heavily wooded range of hills, 20 km long and up to 5 km wide, in central Germany. It stretches northwards from the town of Helmstedt. The border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt runs through the woods, of which about three quarters is on Lower Saxon terrain...
- Dorm
- Elz
- Eiz
- HelmstedtHelmstedtHelmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
Bowl - Rieseberg and Rieseberg Moor
- Kampstüh Forest near Lehre
From a landscape point of view the nature park belongs to the Eastphalian Uplands. It is located between the highlands of the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
to the south and the Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
on the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
to the north. Climatically the park lies in the transition zone between the maritime and continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
zones.
Park history
The nature park was founded in 1977 thanks to cooperation between the districts of Helmstedt and Wolfenbüttel and the city of Brunswick. The Elm-Lappwald Nature Park has since become part of the UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and European Geopark
Geopark
A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...
of Harz–Brunswick Land–Eastphalia.
Geological history
The last ice age ( the Weichselian glaciation) around 12,000 years ago deposited a layer of loessLoess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
up to 3 metres thick in the southern part of the Helmstedt Bowl and in the entire Schöppenstedt Basin, on which fertile black
Chernozem
Chernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus 7% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
and brown earth
Brown earth
Brown earth is a type of soil. Brown earths are mostly located between 35° and 55° north of the Equator. The largest expanses cover western and central Europe, large areas of western and trans-Uralian Russia, the east coast of America and eastern Asia. Here, areas of brown earth soil types are...
s were formed. During periods of thaw, the ice sheets created the detailed shape of the land. A thick deciduous vegetation developed in the time after the ice age and covered the whole area of the present-day park. Their species matched the soil conditions. For example, in the northern part of the park oak and hornbeam woods alternated with beech and oak woods and with carr
Carr (topography)
A carr is a type of waterlogged, wooded terrain that, typically, represents a succession stage between the original reedy swamp and the eventual formation of forest in a sub-maritime climate....
s on the wet,peaty areas (fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s). In the southern part, beech forests predominated.
Settlement history
The area of the present-day nature park was already permanently settled in the 6th century BC, as evinced by the megalithMegalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
graves. The settlement of this region by man changed the natural, vegetative cover, albeit the first settlers in the middle Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, who were hunters, fishermen and gatherers, did not made any significant contribution to these changes.
The hollows
Syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger layers closer to the center of the structure. A synclinorium is a large syncline with superimposed smaller folds. Synclines are typically a downward fold, termed a synformal syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger...
in the area with their deposits of loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soils encouraged early arable farming during the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
.
The dense woods were cleared very early on. The greatest loss of woodland occurred during the time of the great clearances (900 to 1200 AD), when the natural landscape was "brought under cultivation". Today place names ending in -rode, -hörst and -feld go back to this time of settlement. The Cistercian monks of Mariental
Mariental Abbey
Mariental Abbey in the present Mariental in Lower Saxony, Germany, is a former Cistercian monastery founded in 1138, along with Marienberg Abbey in Helmstedt, by Pfalzgraf Friedrich II von Sommerschenburg....
in particular established numerous 'clearance villages'. Abbenrode, Hemkenrode and Erkerode on the northwest slope of the Elm and Rotenkamp on the Rieseberg date back to that time. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
there were clearly more settlements in the region. Almost half of them were given up again by their owners and fell into ruin, becoming abandoned villages. There is a particularly large number of these in the Lappwald, on the Dorm and on the southwest slope of the Elm. With its good soils, the area continues to be used for arable farming. Since the Middle Ages the towns of Königslutter
Königslutter
-External links:*...
, Schöningen
Schöningen
Schöningen is a town of about 13,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located near the border with Saxony-Anhalt, on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range...
, Schöppenstedt
Schöppenstedt
Schöppenstedt is a town in the district of Wolfenbüttel, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated southwest of the Elm, approx. 17 km east of Wolfenbüttel, and 21 km southeast of Braunschweig...
and Helmstedt
Helmstedt
Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
, all within the nature park, have been steeped in history. A key factor in the early development of Helmstedt (already established by 952) was its location on the trade route from Brunswick to Magdeburg, the present B 1 federal highway
Bundesstraße 1
The Bundesstraße 1 or B1 is a German federal highway running in an east-west direction from the Dutch border near Aachen to the Polish border at Küstrin-Kietz on the Oder River.-Route description:...
.
Flora and fauna
The Elm is the largest and most attractive beech forest in North Germany. Amongst the varied landscapes of the natur park are large areas of forest, moors, springs, lakes, heathland, salt meadows and chalk downs, rich in plant species. The park is home to over 800 species of plant, of which more than 10 % are endangered. Birds, mammals and amphibians also occur in abundance in the nature parks habitats. The Reitling valley in the Elm and the Brunnen valley in the LappwaldLappwald
The Lappwald is a heavily wooded range of hills, 20 km long and up to 5 km wide, in central Germany. It stretches northwards from the town of Helmstedt. The border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt runs through the woods, of which about three quarters is on Lower Saxon terrain...
have been described as "idyllic".
Source
- Naturpark Elm-Lappwald, fotografiert von Peter Hamel, Text von Hermann Gutmann u. Friedrich Schröder, Hamburg 1989, Hrsg.: Hans Christians, Hamburg
External links
- Description by the Lower Saxon Environment Ministry
- http://www.bfn.de/0311_landschaften.html?landschaftid=51202Landscape fact file with map by the BfNBFNBFN is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Internet slang for "Bye for now"* In computer science, the Backus Normal Form or Backus–Naur Form is a notation technique for context-free grammars...
] - Tourism in the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park