The short Himmelsweiher tour delves into the history of the centuries-old pond farming of the Aischgrund and allows you to experience the cool water from the trail. It offers a paradise for ornithologists, holds special treasures from the animal world, and opens your eyes to unusual phenomena such as the moor ponds. An idyllic walking tour between Dechsendorf and Röhrach!
The Himmelsweihertour starts in the old town center “Brühl” of DechsendorfBetween the inn, made of sandstone blocks and half-timbering (1717) and a farmhouse with a half-timbered gable from the 17th/18th century, stands a colorful wooden cross with a crucifix (19th century) and a small Pieta (18th century) next to a sandstone wayside shrine from 1507/1584. At the end of the village, the route enters the protected landscape and opens up views of the expansive cultivated landscape, crisscrossed by meadows and fields, wooded areas, and large chains of ponds. Small Bishop's Pond Here you can spot waterfowl for the first time, take a seat under the large oak trees at the edge of the river, or watch swans and coots at the small ponds opposite, lying like towels. The path continues to a silted-up moor pond; next door, dragonflies can be wonderfully studied on the cattails near the bank. Meanwhile, as a result of global warming, various heat-loving dragonfly species from the Mediterranean region, such as the Scarlet Dragonfly, Southern Darter, Small Emperor Dragonfly, Black-backed Dragonfly, and Small Red-eyed Dragonfly. The route leads past the "Himmelsweiher" (sky ponds), whose flowering or reed-covered dams are used by waterfowl for resting and breeding. Heavenly Pond is the name given to the first pond in a chain or a single pond in the forest with very acidic and nutrient-poor water from acidic pine forests on sandy ground or directly from precipitation. As in real moors, specially adapted plants grow here, such as peat mosses, cranberries, the carnivorous sundew, or Bremi's bladderwort. The shore path continues to meander along the Kastenweiher ponds – they are part of the mosaic of sometimes intensively used Chains of pondswhich was already used in the Aischgrund region in the early Middle Ages for the production Aischgrund mirror carp were created for Lent. This was made possible by the local geological peculiarity of sandy, unproductive soils with water-retaining layers of clay in the subsoil. In today's "natural ponds" without intensive breeding, other endangered fish species such as bitterling, flounder, and mudminer are also found. On an asphalt road, one crosses Röhrach and leaves the country road again at the beginning of the water protection area – on the horizon, the fortified church of Hannberg. On the way back, the hiking trail follows the picturesque Kronersweiher chain and the Moorbach stream, crossing the mixed pine forest below the Eichelberg. A viewing bench invites you to rest by the vegetable fields of the Moorau, and an information board explains the natural ponds, meadows, and sand fields in the Moorbachtal As a special feature, moor ponds always catch the eye, on the one hand as sky ponds in the forest, on the other hand as Pond fensThese are shallow ponds with nutrient-poor sludge from plant remains that have decomposed incompletely due to oxygen depletion. The bog-like (anorexic) conditions at the pond bottom are vital for the survival of the plants and animals living there. Ancient oaks, an anthill, and beautifully landscaped sandstone gardens welcome visitors back to civilization.
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