''Old Neckar'' (dt. ''Alter Neckar'') is a

nature conservation area A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

designated by decree of the Regional Council Stuttgart on the territory of the municipality

Altbach Altbach (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Albach'') is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg. It belongs to the Stuttgart Region. (until 1992 ''Region Mittlerer Neckar'') and the European Metropolitan Region Stuttgart. Geog ...

and the town Esslingen in the

district of Esslingen Esslingen is a (district) in the centre of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rems-Murr, Göppingen, Reutlingen, Böblingen and the district-free city Stuttgart. Until 15 October 1964, the district's na ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. A area had already been placed under protection by decree of December 2, 1985. The area is located at 245 m above sea level in the densely populated Middle Neckar Valley, directly south of built-up areas and industrial areas (Altbach/Deizisau combined heat and power plant

) and is part of the natural areas of the Stuttgart Bight and the

Filder The Filder (; plural) – also Filder Plain () – is a natural region (major unit no. 106) of the Swabian Keuper-Lias Land within the South German Scarplands. They form a gently rolling, fertile plateau in the German state of Baden-Württemberg ...

. The area includes an

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...

of the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...

, the woods along the banks, adjacent meadows and fields, unused former fillings and rubble areas as well as parts of the banks of the Neckar Canal. The Neckar's oxbow lake is a rare relic of earlier river history. It is also a breeding and habitat as well as a refuge for many endangered plant and animal species. The oxbow was created when the Neckar loop was punctured in 1933/34 during the course of the river's expansion and the Neckar Canal was dredged. With the excavation only a part of the former river course was filled up.

Flora and Fauna

The fish richness of the oxbow lake with mud-pepper,

chub Chub is a common fish name. It pertains to any one of a number of ray-finned fish in several families and general. In the UK, the term ''chub'' usually refers to the species '' Squalius cephalus''. In addition, see sea chub. In family Cyprinid ...

rudd ''Scardinius'' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. The fishes in this genus are commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without ...

, carp and another 15 species is attractive for grey heron, kingfisher and

bittern Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' and various iterations of ''rared ...

. The reed beds on the banks are populated by woodlice, spiders and digger wasp, among others, and pike find their spawning grounds there. In the shady shore areas orioles and nightingales breed. In the narrow belt of hardwood and softwood floodplains there are still some relicts of the original floodplain forest. Deadwood is left on site and is used in many ways by insects. In the area 13 species of dragonflies have been recorded. Grass snakes, red-cheeked turtles, muskrats and hares have been sighted several times.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Esslingen (district) Nature reserves in Baden-Württemberg 1985 establishments in West Germany

Flora and Fauna

See also

References

External links