Kiesau Nature Reserve

The Kiesau nature reserve stretches from the historic quartz quarry (Kiesaus) to the "Rabenstein" forest road crossing. The area is bordered by hiking trails. Entering the nature reserve is not permitted (with the exception of the historic quartz quarry)

The pond between the quartz quarry and the biotope area is of artificial origin (information from the responsible forest office). Due to the designation as a nature reserve, many plants and animals have settled here. At times there was also a beaver on the move. But this was relocated. The remains of the old beaver building can still be seen on the opposite bank.

Protected area number NSG-00448.01
Expelled in 1993
Size 10 hectaresThe "Kiesau" refers to a former opencast mine with an adjacent moor area on the Hennenkobel mountain near Zwiesel-Rabenstein in the Arberland Bavarian Forest.
Quartz - popularly known as "gravel" - used to be mined in this pit, giving the area the name "Kiesau".The transitional moor between Rabenstein and Bodenmais, with its moor edge forests and the historic quartz quarry with tunnels, was placed under nature protection in 1993 with an area of 10 hectares. The fracture has interesting accompanying rocks of the quartz.
Educational panels convey the history and mineralogy of this former quartz mining site. An underground lake had formed as a result of earlier quartz mining.
In the last century, a whole horse-drawn carriage collapsed and sank here. The only current access to the depths is closed with a grid for safety reasons.
In addition to the moor forest, the vegetation is characterized by bog bilberry, rosemary heath or blueberry and peat moss bulbs.
The old drainage ditches have now been filled with the help of THW and the moor has been largely renatured. The tunnel is now used by bats as a winter quarters.