2024-05-10 05:15:00
People love the stork, they revere it as a messenger of good luck and children. But in the post-war decades it was lost sight of the fact that it was not possible to deprive it of its food sources without consequences. With every river straightening and with every building or arable land, the stork lost part of its livelihood until it disappeared completely. The fact that many areas waited in vain for “their” storks to return from their winter quarters was a symbol that should not be underestimated for the general rethinking of nature conservation since the late 1970s.
The “Auenverbund Wetterau”, founded 35 years ago, can be considered a model region for active repentance. More than 100 breeding pairs of storks were recently counted in the 7,400 hectare catchment area of four rivers – even more than in a count in 1904. There are now a good thousand across Hesse. There is no longer any need for assistance, such as additional feeding or platforms for nest building.
Not only the return of the white stork is an indicator that the recovery of large-scale wetlands and thus food areas has been successful. Since then, the diversity of flora and fauna bound to open land has increased almost by leaps and bounds. Around 250 species of birds are spotted in the floodplains, including rare species such as marsh harriers, bluethroats and great egrets. There are also numerous migratory birds that find valuable “stepping stones”, particularly in the renatured open-cast mines of the northern Wetterau.
Nidda, Wetter, Horloff and Nidder were gradually freed from their trench-like Procrustes beds – in recent years even within local areas – which allowed shallow water zones and stagnant water to form in oxbow lakes. Since the abandonment of the agricultural land, which was often only gained in the post-war period through canalization and drainage, the rivers have been able to overflow their banks again as flood protection.
The wide green areas, which are not used for any commercial purposes, contribute to the species richness of the floodplain network. The corresponding catchment area of Nidda, Wetter, Horloff and Nidder covers around 7,400 hectares, a fifth of which are nature reserves. Here is the view over the 62 hectare area of bush meadows near Altenstadt-Oberau.Thomas Klein
However, the early initiatives to change direction through purchase or reallocation mostly came from private or organized nature lovers. Only then did politics and administration follow suit and set irreversible signals thanks to the designation of large nature reserves (NSG). The areas of more than 1,300 hectares created since the end of the 1970s formed the basis for the floodplain network. The NSG Buschwiesen near Altenstadt, established in 1982, alone measures 62 hectares. In addition to the adjacent grassland, which is also exempt from any cultivation, more than 200 hectares on the middle Nidder belong to gray herons or greylag geese. And of course storks.
Directions
If you start at Altenstadt train station, use the nearby track crossing. On the other side, turn immediately right onto the cycle and footpath towards Höchst. There are large parking spaces there as well as at the train station. The rails indicate the direction for 300 meters before turning left into the wide valley of the Nidder and thus the floodplain area, without the asphalt subsoil ending. After crossing the water on a wooden bridge and following the passage to the right along the edge of Oberau, it temporarily stands back.
Behind it, the NSG Buschwiesen opens on the left. Its main feature in later spring are various types of orchids (orchids) and, above all, the bright pink color of the cuckoo carnation, unlike the yellow of the marsh marigold, which dominates in the landscape protection area to the right of the path. At the edge there is a high platform with a stork’s nest. You immediately get closer to someone else.
Before Höchst you cross the Nidder again, which is lined with willows, and take Mühlgasse to the town center, where you will be surprised by a stately baroque building. The castle-like manor house, acquired in 1756 by Baron Maximilian von Günderrode, is still owned by the family today. Since the hotel closed in 2005, it has been extensively renovated. Final work is still underway on the farm buildings. The covered sandstone tombs around the neighboring parish church are also worth seeing.
To continue, pass the “Villa” built in 1877 and turn left onto Am Herrenzaun Street. At the exit, after crossing the tracks, it flows into the open country of the Nidder. There are two options for exploring it: either straight ahead on the paved farm road or right next to the river, albeit on bumpy, grassy paths (they are not closed).
Immediately after the rails, turn left down to the railway bridge and right onto the riverside path. It soon becomes clear that intervention needs to be done even in a core zone of the floodplains, as here to fix the edge strips after damage. The wetland between Höchst and Eichen, known colloquially as “Storchenwiese”, is untouched by this. Dozens of birds stalk through the grassland – overlooked by an eyrie with two young heads peeking out of it. The nest remains in sight longer, even after turning right upon reaching the first oak trees.
Shortly before the main road, the variant drivers join us. They are crossed together. On the other side you reach the Bonifatius route. It was signposted in 2004 to commemorate the route that the body of the “Apostle of the Germans”, who was murdered in 754, is said to have taken when being transferred from Mainz to Fulda. The less swampy hills were probably used, and so the route symbol, a bishop’s crook on a red and white checkered field, heads over a meadow slope towards the wooded mountain ridge.
Another look back and you see a magnificent beech forest. The sign is there well, but you should be prepared for some changes in direction; Only near the Steinberg does the path turn east and thus to Engelthal Abbey. A slight descent takes you closer to the Benedictine monastery, which remains hidden by the completely preserved surrounding wall from the 18th century.
Even after walking through the public part and the church, the Boniface route remains effective. The signet leads along the side of the access road for a while, before it briefly climbs to the left into the forest and soon back into the trees. You accompany them for a while before finally stopping between orchards with a right and then left turn towards Altenstadt.
Engelthal Monastery is somewhat hidden on the edge of the Nidder Valley. It is one of the last in Hesse to still have a convent. After the abbey, which was founded for Cistercians in 1268, was abolished, it was repopulated by Benedictine women in 1962. Despite the high surrounding wall from the 18th century, the sisters run an open house. The church and outdoor area are freely accessible.Thomas Klein
The markings faithfully guide you through the completely overhauled historical district of Ober-, Hinter- and Kirchgasse. Only in the latter is there no reference to the stairway to the parish church with its tower occupied by late Gothic houses. The Kirchgasse leads into a traffic roundabout, and from there you go to the train station opposite on Hanauer Straße.
Worth seeing
The central Niddertal is one of the core areas of the 7,400 hectare “Wetterau floodplain network”. Here large areas could be gained for species that rely on open land, such as the white stork. The breeding animals can be easily observed from developed paths.
In Wetterau, which has been inhabited for a long time, there is also no lack of cultural evidence. The Altenstadt, which grew up over a Roman fort, had a Gothic church, which is reminiscent of the square tower with a pointed helmet and four little houses; The nave was replaced by a hall building in 1720. Largely renovated, the core of the buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries remained intact.
The inner-city conditions in Höchst are also tight. Here, a stately baroque building towers over the half-timbered courtyards and the parish church surrounded by tombs. The castle-like complex, built in 1718, has been owned by the von Günderrode family since 1756. A building on Mühlgasse built in 1708 belonged to the nearby Engelthal monastery. It was considered an alternative accommodation during the reconstruction of the Cistercian abbey, which was founded in 1268 and was destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War. Benedictine nuns repopulated the monastery in 1962.
Directions
Altenstadt is located in the eastern Wetterau near the A 45. From the Rhine-Main area, access is via Friedberg on the B 275 or via the B 521 from the Frankfurt area.
There are direct connections every hour by train or the S 6 via Bad Vilbel.
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