Lüneburg Heath Nature Park
Encyclopedia
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...
in northern 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...
, lies the Lüneburg Heath Nature Park (German: Naturpark Lüneburger Heide) with an area of 1130 square kilometres (436.3 sq mi). In the centre of the nature park is the Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve
Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve
The Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve is one of the oldest and largest nature reserves in Germany, and the oldest and largest in Lower Saxony...
with an area of 23440 hectares (57,921.5 acre).
Extent
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
) of Lüneburg and, after its expansion in 2007, includes parts of the districts of Harburg, Lüneburg and Soltau-Fallingbostel.
The Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is bordered in the north by Buchholz
Buchholz in der Nordheide
Buchholz in der Nordheide is the largest town in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km southwest of Hamburg.-Geography:Buchholz is home to the Brunsberg, the region's highest mountain...
, in the east by Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, in the south by Soltau
Soltau
- Middle Ages :The region of the Lüneburg Heath had already been settled by the start of the New Stone Age about 4,000 years ago. The Soltau area was initially occupied by a few individual farms. The parish of Soltau was probably founded around 830 and the first wooden church Sante Johannis...
and in the west by Neuenkirchen. It lies roughly 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) south of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 70 km east of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and 90 km north 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...
. It was established as early as 1922, initially with 21000 hectares (51,892.1 acre) of nature reserve. In 1993 this area was increased to 23440 hectares (57,921.5 acre). By the beginning of 2007 the area of the nature reserve almost coincided with the area of the nature park. On 14 February 2007 the park was expanded to 113000 hectares (279,228.8 acre). The areas added included various protected areas (Landschaftsschutzgebiete).
Nature reserves
There are some 20 nature reserves (Naturschutzgebiete or NSGs) in the park.NSGs with an area of more than 100 hectares are:
- Lüneburg Heath Nature ReserveLüneburg Heath Nature ReserveThe Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve is one of the oldest and largest nature reserves in Germany, and the oldest and largest in Lower Saxony...
23,440 ha - Upper Wümme DepressionWümme DepressionThe Wümme Depression is a bog, geest and forest landscape within the Elbe-Weser Triangle in the German state of Lower Saxony. It belongs mainly to the district of Rotenburg. It has no sharply defined boundary with the Lüneburg Heath; as a result many places are seen as belonging to both regions....
1,415 ha - KiehnmoorKiehnmoorThe Kiehnmoor is a nature reserve in Germany. It was designated as a nature reserve in 1992. It has an area of of which lie in Celle district and in Uelzen district. The nature conservation authorities of these districts are responsible for the reserve. A large part of the area is wet meadow,...
440 ha - Upper Fintau valley 416 ha
- Valley of the Kleine ÖrtzeÖrtzeThe Örtze is a river in the North German state of Lower Saxony, which rises north of Munster in the Große Heide and, after , joins the Aller southeast of Winsen.- Source and course :...
330 ha - Schierbruch and Forellenbach valley 250 ha
- Brambostel Moor 105 ha
Protected areas
There are more than 50 protected landscapes (Landschaftsschutzgebiete or LSGs) in the park.LSGs with an area of more than 500 hectares are:
- GarlstorfGarlstorfGarlstorf is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
er Wald and the surrounding area 10,383 ha - Munster-Oerrel 3,476 ha
- Sottorfer Busch 2,589 ha
- Eichenhaine (The Schweineweide) 2,239 ha
- Schwindebeck 1,750 ha
- Rosengarten KiekebergKiekebergThe Kiekeberg is, at 127 metres above sea level, one of the more prominent hills in the Harburg Hills in north Germany. It is located in the parish of Ehestorf in the municipality of Rosengarten in the district of Harburg in the southern foothills of the range, which is also known as The Black...
Stuvenwald 973 ha - Woods on the edge of the Raubkammer 824 ha
- Riensheide 759 ha
- Lohbergen 550 ha
- Klecker Wald 517 ha
Natural monuments
- Dolmens, tumuli, a stone chamber grave near Oldendorf/Luhe
- Glacial erraticGlacial erraticA glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
s, a "century stone" (Jahrhundertstein) near SoderstorfSoderstorfSoderstorf is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Soderstorf has an area of 35.86 km² and a population of 1,488 .... - Lime treesTiliaTilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
, oakOakAn 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...
s, beechBeechBeech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, Norway SpruceNorway SpruceNorway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
, JuniperJuniperJunipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, Myrica galeMyrica galeMyrica gale is a species of flowering plant in the genus Myrica, native to northern and western Europe and parts of northern North America. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1–2 m tall. Common names include Bog Myrtle and Sweet Gale...
near Wesseloh, HollyHollyIlex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
near SoderstorfSoderstorfSoderstorf is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Soderstorf has an area of 35.86 km² and a population of 1,488 .... - Deposited rocks (Wanderblöcke) at Heimbusch and near EgestorfEgestorfEgestorf is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
(see glacial erratics) - Source of the Schwindebach, a clay pitClay pitA clay pit is a quarry or mine for the extraction of clay, which is generally used for manufacturing pottery, bricks or Portland cement.The brickyard or brickworks is often located alongside the clay pit to reduce the transport costs of the raw material. These days pottery producers are often not...
near Lieste and a "bottomless pit" near SoltauSoltau- Middle Ages :The region of the Lüneburg Heath had already been settled by the start of the New Stone Age about 4,000 years ago. The Soltau area was initially occupied by a few individual farms. The parish of Soltau was probably founded around 830 and the first wooden church Sante Johannis... - Schwalinger Flatt near Neuenkirchen (flat marshy lake from the ice age)