Solling-Vogler Nature Park
Encyclopedia
The Solling-Vogler Nature Park is a nature park
in South Lower Saxony
in Germany
. It has an area of 52000 hectares (200.8 sq mi) and was established in 1966.
The nature park includes the hill ranges of the Solling
and the Vogler but also the Burgberg
which lies east of Weser valley
between the two upland regions. It is looked after by the Zweckverband Naturpark Solling-Vogler, whose sponsors are the districts of Holzminden and Northeim and the state of Lower Saxony.
in the two aforementioned districts between the rivers Weser in the west and Leine in the east. It is located between the villages of Bodenwerder
to the north, Stadtoldendorf
and Dassel
to the northeast, Moringen
to the east Hardegsen
and Uslar
to the southeast, Bad Karlshafen
to the south, Beverungen
to the southwest, Höxter
to the west and Holzminden
to the northwest.
The nature park lies between its neighbours, the Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park
to the north, the Münden Nature Park
to the south, the Harz National Park
to the east and the Eggegebirge and Southern Teutoburg Forest Nature Park to the west.
The Bunter sandstone ridge of the Solling (up to 528 m AMSL) has the appearance of a high plateau with mixed forests, wet meadows and moors. The Vogler (460 m) is also a sandstone upland, but with many hills and valleys with steep rock faces.
mixed forest
. In some places ancient oak
wood pasture
has survived. Rare plants, like the sundew, maidenhair spleenwort
and rare species of orchid occur here, as do wildcat
, birds of prey and stork.
Elements of the nature park enjoy the additional protected status of the EU Birds Directive
. The designated areas are habitats for the middle spotted woodpecker
, Tengmalm's owl
, black stork
and other protected bird species.
The Weser Cycle Path runs west of the nature park along the Weser, as do the tourist routes of the German Fairy Tale Road, German Framework Road
and the Road of Weser Renaissance
.
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 South Lower Saxony
South Lower Saxony
South Lower Saxony refers to the southern part of the German federal state of Lower Saxony. The region so described is neither historically nor geographically clearly defined to the north within Lower Saxony...
in 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 has an area of 52000 hectares (200.8 sq mi) and was established in 1966.
The nature park includes the hill ranges of the Solling
Solling
The Solling is a range of hills up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German state of Lower Saxony, whose extreme southerly foothills extend into Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia....
and the Vogler but also the Burgberg
Burgberg (ridge)
The Burgberg is a ridge of hills up to high in the German federal state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The Burgberg, which belongs to the Solling-Vogler Nature Park, is located in the district of Holzminden in the Weser Uplands between the hill ranges of the Vogler to the north, the Homburgwald to...
which lies east of Weser valley
Upper Weser Valley
The Upper Weser Valley in central Germany has been formed by the Upper Weser river cutting through the Weser Uplands for around between the towns of Hann. Münden and Minden. It lies in the German federal states of Lower Saxony, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia.- Course :The Upper Weser Valley...
between the two upland regions. It is looked after by the Zweckverband Naturpark Solling-Vogler, whose sponsors are the districts of Holzminden and Northeim and the state of Lower Saxony.
Geography
The Solling-Vogler Nature Park lies northwest of the city of GöttingenGöttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
in the two aforementioned districts between the rivers Weser in the west and Leine in the east. It is located between the villages of Bodenwerder
Bodenwerder
Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from Hamelin, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills...
to the north, Stadtoldendorf
Stadtoldendorf
Stadtoldendorf is a town in the middle Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. Stadtoldendorf is the seat of the Samtgemeinde Eschershausen-Stadtoldendorf.Allocation of seats in the local council electoral period 2006-2011:...
and Dassel
Dassel
Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains.-History:...
to the northeast, Moringen
Moringen
Moringen is a town in the district Northeim, in the southern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. The town consists of the center Moringen and eight surrounding villages.-History:The town and its villages were founded over a thousand years ago....
to the east Hardegsen
Hardegsen
Hardegsen is a town in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Northeim, and 15 km northwest of Göttingen....
and Uslar
Uslar
Uslar is a town and a municipality in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, in the south-western part of the district of Northeim, and in the south of the hills of Solling forest which are part of the Weser Uplands.Uslar is located on the German Framework Road....
to the southeast, Bad Karlshafen
Bad Karlshafen
Bad Karlshafen is a baroque, thermal salt spa town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It has 2300 inhabitants in the main ward of Bad Karlshafen, and a further 1900 in the medieval ward of Helmarshausen...
to the south, Beverungen
Beverungen
Beverungen is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Location :Beverungen lies in the Weser Uplands on the side of the Weser opposite Solling roughly 10 km south of Höxter. In parts of the eastern municipal area near the river, the town has a share of the Weser Valley,...
to the southwest, Höxter
Höxter
Höxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands...
to the west and Holzminden
Holzminden
Holzminden is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located directly on the river Weser, which here is the border to North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:...
to the northwest.
The nature park lies between its neighbours, the Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park
Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park
The Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park lies on the northern edge of the German Central Uplands where it transitions to the North German Plain, about southwest of Hanover. The sponsor of the nature park, which was founded in 1975, is the state of Lower Saxony...
to the north, the Münden Nature Park
Münden Nature Park
The Münden Nature Park lies within the district of Göttingen, in south Lower Saxony in Germany.- Geography :This large and densely wooded nature park was founded in 1959 within the borders of the now defunct district of Münden...
to the south, the Harz National Park
Harz National Park
The Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises large portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg on the northern slopes...
to the east and the Eggegebirge and Southern Teutoburg Forest Nature Park to the west.
The Bunter sandstone ridge of the Solling (up to 528 m AMSL) has the appearance of a high plateau with mixed forests, wet meadows and moors. The Vogler (460 m) is also a sandstone upland, but with many hills and valleys with steep rock faces.
Flora and fauna
Over 80 % of the nature park consists of beech and spruceSpruce
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...
mixed forest
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Mixed forests are a temperate and humid biome. The typical structure of these forests includes four layers. The uppermost layer is the canopy composed of tall mature trees ranging from 33 to 66 m high. Below the canopy is the three-layered, shade-tolerant understory that is roughly 9 to...
. In some places ancient 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...
wood pasture
Wood pasture
Wood pasture is a historical European land management system in which open woodland provided shelter and forage for grazing animals, particularly sheep and cattle, as well as woodland products such as timber for construction and fuel, coppiced stems for wattle and charcoal making and pollarded poles...
has survived. Rare plants, like the sundew, maidenhair spleenwort
Asplenium trichomanes
Asplenium trichomanes is a small fern in the spleenwort genus Asplenium. It is a widespread and common species, occurring almost worldwide in a variety of rocky habitats. It is a variable fern with several subspecies.-Description:It grows in tufts from a short rhizome...
and rare species of orchid occur here, as do wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
, birds of prey and stork.
Elements of the nature park enjoy the additional protected status of the EU Birds Directive
Birds Directive
The Birds Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 2009. It replaces Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds which was modified several times and had become very unclear...
. The designated areas are habitats for the middle spotted woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
The Middle Spotted Woodpecker is a European woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos.The Middle Spotted Woodpecker is 20–22 cm long and has plumage similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker. As with that species the upperparts are predominantly black with white oval wing patches and white...
, Tengmalm's owl
Tengmalm's Owl
Boreal Owl, Aegolius funereus, is a small owl. It is also known as the Tengmalm's Owl after Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. Other names for the owl include Richardson's Owl, Funeral Owl , Sparrow Owl and Pearl Owl...
, black stork
Black Stork
The Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in...
and other protected bird species.
Sights
The abbeys of Amelungsborn and Corvey as well as Bevern Castle are outstanding historic buildings and are all located within the nature park. In Fürstenberg there is an old porcelain works. Between Silberborn and Neuhaus is the Hochsolling Observation Tower. Close to the tower is the nature reserve of Hochmoor Mecklenbruch near Silberborn and the Neuhaus Deer Park (see external links), with its forest museum, near Neuhaus.The Weser Cycle Path runs west of the nature park along the Weser, as do the tourist routes of the German Fairy Tale Road, German Framework Road
German Framework Road
The German Timber-Frame Road is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to Lake Constance in the south. Along the road you can find nearly 100 cities and towns with remarkable timber-framed houses...
and the Road of Weser Renaissance
Road of Weser Renaissance
The Road of Weser Renaissance is a well-known tourist route in North Germany. As a cultural route it links famous architectural monuments of the Weser Renaissance period in the 16th and early 17th centuries....
.
External links
- Solling-Vogler Nature Park
- Neuhaus Deer Park (with forest museum)