Barnbruch
Encyclopedia
The Barnbruch is a wetland
of international importance in the old glacial valley of the river Aller
that provides a habitat for endangered species of bird
s, amphibian
s and insect
s. It lies between the city of Wolfsburg
and town of Gifhorn
and consists of an enclosed woodland area of around 1500 hectares (3,706.6 acre) with surrounding meadows and pastures. This low-lying depression lies partly within the territory of the city of Wolfsburg and partly within Gifhorn district. Together with the Drömling
around 15 km to the east, the Barnbruch is the most valuable ecological lowland region along the upper course of the Aller
.
(Bruchwald) or fen woodland. In 1830 it was the cause of complaint by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages to their king. They said that, for years, they had not been able to harvest any hay and that their farms had been ruined by floods. Following a state treaty in 1860 between Prussia
, the Kingdom of Hanover
and Duchy of Brunswick
over the regulation of the Aller
and the Ohre
, work began on draining the area. The main contribution to this effort was the Aller Canal
, built 1860-63, between Wolfsburg
and Gifhorn
. Draining the land of water turned the swamp
s into a wetland with a rich variety of trees, in which both fen and riverside woods with birch, oak, ash and alder trees could flourish. Today large parts of the Barnbruch are nature reserve
s, in which several areas have been left to evolve without any human intervention.
origin). The high levels of ground water and periodic flooding created alder groves which were largely inaccessible to people. In 1833 softwood trees, especially the alder
accounted for 82 % of the total area, whilst pine
s covered only 1 %. In 1875, as a result of the drainage, this had fundamentally changed. Now alders on covered 42 % of the land, whilst pine and birch
now made up 51 %.
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
of international importance in the old glacial valley of the river Aller
Aller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
that provides a habitat for endangered species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. It lies between the city of 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...
and town of Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
and consists of an enclosed woodland area of around 1500 hectares (3,706.6 acre) with surrounding meadows and pastures. This low-lying depression lies partly within the territory of the city of Wolfsburg and partly within Gifhorn district. Together with the Drömling
Drömling
The Drömling is a sparsely populated depression on the border of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in Germany with an area of about . The larger part belonging to Saxony-Anhalt in the east has been a nature park since 1990. The former swampland was transformed by drainaged from a natural into a...
around 15 km to the east, the Barnbruch is the most valuable ecological lowland region along the upper course of the Aller
Aller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
.
Location
The Barnbruch is about 4 x 7 kilometres across and is bordered:- To the west by the Elbe Lateral Canal and the artificial lake of the Tankumsee (IsenbüttelIsenbüttelIsenbüttel is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 6 km southeast of Gifhorn, and 20 km north of Braunschweig....
). - To the north by the AllerAllerThe Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
and the villages of OsloßOsloßOsloß is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
and WeyhausenWeyhausenWeyhausen is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:The earliest surviving record dates from 1344, naming the settlement as Weydehusen. In 1350 it was rebuilt following destruction by fire...
. - To the east by the industrial facilities of the Wolfsburg VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
factory. - To the south by the K 114 district road (Wolfsburg-Gifhorn northern link) and the village of CalberlahCalberlahCalberlah is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
Drainage
Originally the Barnbruch was a carrCarr
Carr is a common surname in northern England, deriving from the Old Norse kjarr, meaning a swamp. Kerr is a Scottish variant. Carr is also a common surname in Ireland, where it often derives from the nickname, gearr, meaning short...
(Bruchwald) or fen woodland. In 1830 it was the cause of complaint by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages to their king. They said that, for years, they had not been able to harvest any hay and that their farms had been ruined by floods. Following a state treaty in 1860 between Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
and Duchy of Brunswick
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
over the regulation of the Aller
Aller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
and the Ohre
Ohre
The Ohře is a 316 km long river in Germany and the Czech Republic , left tributary of the Elbe. The basin area of the river has a size of 6,255 km², of which 5,614 km² are in the Czech Republic and 641 km² in Germany...
, work began on draining the area. The main contribution to this effort was the Aller Canal
Aller Canal
The Aller Canal is a canal built in the mid-19th century in the German state of Lower Saxony. The canal is long and runs between Wolfsburg and Gifhorn. It was built to protect agricultural land from flooding by the river Aller...
, built 1860-63, between 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...
and Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
. Draining the land of water turned the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s into a wetland with a rich variety of trees, in which both fen and riverside woods with birch, oak, ash and alder trees could flourish. Today large parts of the Barnbruch are nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s, in which several areas have been left to evolve without any human intervention.
Wood
Up to 1770 the swampy Bruchwald was not forested and pine trees only grew on a few higher points (sand dunes of ice ageIce age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
origin). The high levels of ground water and periodic flooding created alder groves which were largely inaccessible to people. In 1833 softwood trees, especially the alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
accounted for 82 % of the total area, whilst pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s covered only 1 %. In 1875, as a result of the drainage, this had fundamentally changed. Now alders on covered 42 % of the land, whilst pine and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
now made up 51 %.
Sources
- Der Barnbruch in: Naturschutzgebiete im Raum Gifhorn-Wolfsburg, Jürgen Schröder, 1986 Gifhorn