Rastatter Rheinaue Nature Reserve

Expelled 1984;
area 850 hectares;
The Rastatter Rheinaue nature reserve is criss-crossed by several arms of the old Rhine. As a result, it offers a natural space for numerous animals and plants, some of which are rare or even threatened with extinction.
e.g. reed warbler and black kite, water and tree frog, stag beetle;The Rastatter Rheinaue is one of the largest nature reserves in Baden-Württemberg with an area of around 850 hectares. The NSG is located in the district of Rastatt in the area of the district town of Rastatt and also extends over the communities of Iffezheim and Steinmauern. The special feature of the nature reserve is that it is one of the last intact flood plains on the Upper Rhine. It thus offers a location for the oak-elm forest communities and a habitat for numerous plants and animals. A white willow forest also grows in the Rastatter Rheinaue. The floodplain has been a nature reserve since February 1984 and the NSG has even been part of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 since 2001. In addition, since 2008 it has been part of the internationally important wetlands according to the Ramsar Agreement.The area consists of five core zones: Murgwinkel, Häfele, Füllergrund, Saurhein - Bannwald - Schmidtseppengrund and Bannwasser. Due to the changing water levels, the protected area is characterized by a variety of alluvial forests, large oxbow lakes and humid high herbaceous borders. The Rhine can only regularly flood the floodplains below the Iffezheim barrage, which results in diversity and species richness in the approximately 7.5 km long and 1 km wide floodplain. There are several observation points in the NSG where you can see and observe special animals or plants. Incidentally, the Rastatter Rheinaue is the first undeveloped and still intact floodplain downstream.
(nreservate.org and LUBW)