Geopark Vulkaneifel

Such landscapes were typical of the Vulkaneifel until the 20th century. Entire areas of land such as the Struth between Daun and Kelberg, where acidic and nutrient-poor soils dominated, often only provided meager food in terms of quantity.

“The bitter Eifel wind blows freely over the bare plateau with its hungry gorse bushes and burnt heather” – this is how the writer Clara Viebig described the central volcanic Eifel in 1902.

What is glorified today as a romantic heathland landscape stood for the poverty of the residents and the devastation of the landscape in the 19th century. Heather, juniper and bristle grass withstood the voracious mouths of the grazing animals. However, this changed fundamentally with the introduction of artificial fertilizer and heath reforestation by the Prussians. Today, these landscape types are among the most endangered habitats in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Nature reserves with rarity value

Botanical specialties such as arnica, devil's bite and wood louseweed can be found as well as great fritillary, red-backed shrike and wartbiter. In the Vulkaneifel, numerous larger and smaller remains of heather and bristly grass lawns have been preserved, such as in Dreis-Brück, Oberehe, Rengen, Retterath, Neroth, Bleckhausen, Demerath and Schüller. Today they are protected as nature reserves and are cared for as relics of historical land use.