Göhrde State Forest
Encyclopedia
The Göhrde State Forest is the largest contiguous mixed forest region in North Germany. It lies in the districts of Lüchow-Dannenberg and Lüneburg.
of Göhrde, parts of the municipality of Göhrde
(both in Lüchow-Dannenberg district) as well as parts of the municipalities of Nahrendorf
and Boitze
(Lüneburg district). The forest is also part of the Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park
and is located on a plateau with an average height of 80 metres above NN (roughly from 50 to 110 m NN) in the northwestern area of the Drawehn
. Because the Göhrde region has no rivers it was never settled.
The state forest of Göhrde is about 75 km² in area and at its heart has some very old stands of trees. Many of these giant trees (especially English Oaks) have been designated as natural monument
s and are protected. The main species of tree in the woods, which lie on the mostly sandy soils and rolling terrain, are the Scots Pine
, Common Beech, Spruce
and Oak
. The long-stemmed oaks are important for silviculture
and belong to the most profitable in Germany, due to their closely spaced annual rings, that are produced by the warm, sunny climate and low levels of rainfall. In the Breeser Grund (Breese Bottom) in the south of the Göhrde a Hutewald of some 37 hectares (91.4 acre) has been preserved with old isolated oaks and heath landscapes.
Fallow Deer
, Red Deer
and Mouflon
live in the forest.
The Breeser Grund is an EU
Special Area of Conservation
which is especially worth protecting as are the beech woods in the Göhrde (Buchenwälder in der Göhrde) southeast of the village of Göhrde itself.
. Later the Kings of Hanover
also hunted here and – to 1918 – the German emperors. The buildings of the old Göhrde hunting lodge still stand in the village of Göhrde
in the heart of the state forest. The castle itself was demolished in 1827. The remaining buildings house the Göhrde Training Centre (Bildungszentrum Göhrde).
On the northern edge of the forest in the village of Breese am Seißelberge
is Göhrde station
, on the Wendland Railway, which was named after the forest. Because the emperors of Germany used to alight at this station as they travelled to their hunts in the forest it was also locally known as the Kaiserbahnhof (Emperor Station).
Description
The Göhrde includes the entire unparished areaUnparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
of Göhrde, parts of the municipality of Göhrde
Göhrde
Göhrde is a municipality in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.The municipality was named after the Göhrde State Forest, which has an area of about , famous for its oaks, beeches and game preserves. The hunting lodge situated in the forest was built in 1689 and was restored...
(both in Lüchow-Dannenberg district) as well as parts of the municipalities of Nahrendorf
Nahrendorf
Nahrendorf is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
and Boitze
Boitze
Boitze is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Boitze has an area of 25.41 km² and a population of 416 ....
(Lüneburg district). The forest is also part of the Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park
Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park
The Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park , formerly known as the Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park is a German nature park east of Lüneburg in Lower Saxony.- Location:...
and is located on a plateau with an average height of 80 metres above NN (roughly from 50 to 110 m NN) in the northwestern area of the Drawehn
Drawehn
The Drawehn is a partly wooded and partly agricultural region of hills in the northeastern part of the German state of Lower Saxony, lying between the districts of Lüneburg and Uelzen in the west and Lüchow-Dannenberg in the east.- Definition :...
. Because the Göhrde region has no rivers it was never settled.
The state forest of Göhrde is about 75 km² in area and at its heart has some very old stands of trees. Many of these giant trees (especially English Oaks) have been designated as natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
s and are protected. The main species of tree in the woods, which lie on the mostly sandy soils and rolling terrain, are the Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, Common Beech, Spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
and Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. The long-stemmed oaks are important for silviculture
Silviculture
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- + culture...
and belong to the most profitable in Germany, due to their closely spaced annual rings, that are produced by the warm, sunny climate and low levels of rainfall. In the Breeser Grund (Breese Bottom) in the south of the Göhrde a Hutewald of some 37 hectares (91.4 acre) has been preserved with old isolated oaks and heath landscapes.
Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
, Red Deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
and Mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
live in the forest.
The Breeser Grund is an EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Special Area of Conservation
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...
which is especially worth protecting as are the beech woods in the Göhrde (Buchenwälder in der Göhrde) southeast of the village of Göhrde itself.
History
The Göhrde was once a favourite hunting ground of the Dukes of Brunswick-LüneburgBrunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
. Later the Kings of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
also hunted here and – to 1918 – the German emperors. The buildings of the old Göhrde hunting lodge still stand in the village of Göhrde
Göhrde
Göhrde is a municipality in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.The municipality was named after the Göhrde State Forest, which has an area of about , famous for its oaks, beeches and game preserves. The hunting lodge situated in the forest was built in 1689 and was restored...
in the heart of the state forest. The castle itself was demolished in 1827. The remaining buildings house the Göhrde Training Centre (Bildungszentrum Göhrde).
On the northern edge of the forest in the village of Breese am Seißelberge
Nahrendorf
Nahrendorf is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
is Göhrde station
Göhrde station
Göhrde station is a railway halt on the Dannenberg–Lüneburg railway in the northeastern part of the German state of Lower Saxony. The former through station in Breese am Seißelberge in the municipality of Nahrendorf was the destination station for imperial hunts in the nearby state forest of Göhrde...
, on the Wendland Railway, which was named after the forest. Because the emperors of Germany used to alight at this station as they travelled to their hunts in the forest it was also locally known as the Kaiserbahnhof (Emperor Station).
Literature
- Ernst Andreas Friedrich: Naturdenkmale Niedersachsens. Hannover, 1980. ISBN 3-7842-0227-6