The approx. 1,450 hectare nature reserve, located in the eastern hill country of Schleswig-Holstein, was placed under nature protection as early as 1938 through the "Hahnheide" forest area. A main motive for placing it under protection was originally to avoid the establishment of an armaments factory. At the same time, the naturally grown habitats should also be protected and preserved. Large stands of beech, pine and spruce old trees are characteristic of the area. Small valleys with near-natural streams and depressions enrich the area with near-natural moist forests and, with their structural diversity, offer a wide range of species. Hahnheide is part of the European ecological network "Natura 2000" (FFH area and bird sanctuary). The inner area of the Hahnheide consists of the deposited sands of the penultimate Ice Age, which were pushed up to the Hahnheide Mountains during the last Ice Age and now protrude with their nutrient-poor and sandy soils at a height of 60-100 m. The fringes of Hahnheide, on the other hand, have more nutrient-rich soils that were deposited during the last ice age and when the glaciers retreated.
Source: State Office for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas of the State
Schleswig-Holstein (LLUR) (Ed.), 2008.