High heath on the Kahler Pön

The Kahler Pön Nature Reserve extends around the Kahler Pön mountain between Düdinghausen and Usseln. Together with the Usseln Heath, it offers a diverse mix of natural landscapes, including beech stands, pastures, and high heathland. You can also cycle to the summit cross.

The Kahler Pön Nature Reserve extends around the Kahler Pön mountain between Düdinghausen and Usseln. Together with the Usseln Heath, it offers a diverse mix of natural landscapes, including beech stands, pastures, and high heathland. The high heathland areas that still exist today are of particular importance. In the past, high heathland was created by stripping the upper vegetation layer down to the mineral soil. These plaggen were used as bedding for animals and, along with manure, were spread back onto the fields. On the raw mineral soil, the acidic and light-loving heather thrived particularly well against other plants, giving rise to heathland areas composed of heather, cranberry, and grasses. Today, heathland areas are rare and must be permanently maintained as a cultural landscape. This is because heathland does not tolerate shade from spruce trees, for example, and requires open mineral soils to reproduce. Today, maintenance is carried out using specially developed machines (plagg machines), and grazing with Heidschnuck sheep counteracts the progressive overgrowth and aging of the heathland. The high heathland is, of course, a truly special natural beauty during its flowering period in late summer!
The south-facing, dry high heathland areas in particular offer a rare habitat. Rare bird species such as the tree pipit, meadow pipit, red-backed shrike, and great grey shrike can be found here. Rare butterfly and grasshopper species also love the open vegetation around the Usselner Heide and the Kahle Pön mountain peak.
The panoramic views are truly remarkable. The view from Kalied is a very special highlight, as the Medebach Bay lies literally at your feet. The far-reaching views from the summit cross of the Usselner Heide, from the Kahle Pön, or from the Graf-Stolberg-Hütte are also fascinating.

The nature reserve around Kahler Pön is very beautiful. From the highest point of the mountain, the Gifelkreuz, there is a beautiful view.