Fairy Tale

Reinhardswald is the most beautiful natural fairytale forest in Europe. Here in the area between the rivers Weser and Diemel Sleeping Beauty slept her centennial sleep, Rapunzel let her long braid hanging from the tower window and were giants, goblins and trolls forest unsafe.

Sababurg

Reinhardswald with its 400 square kilometers the largest contiguous forest area of ​​the German state of Hesse. The many ancient trees and inspired people to fairy tales.

The painter Theodor Rochol (1854 -1933) is due, that 92 acres of hudewoud (German Hutewald) around the Sababurg in 1907 fell under nature.



Here you walk through 600 year old oak (Huteeichen), a 220 year old oak avenue, huge beech, birch old, hornbeam and larch. It is home to red deer, boar hog, deer, hare, fox and even of lynx (wild cat). Raven, black stork, black woodpecker and wespenbuizaard are everywhere.

"Kamineiche"

Inmidden of this particular forest is a 500 year old oak tree, a treasure trove for humans and animals.

This old oak is hollow inside, but he is still alive and resists all fall and winter storms, while around him, the remains of dead conspecifics of the forest cover. On the bosbeestjes (beetles, woodlice, millipedes, etc.) is due to the building of the old trees back into the cycle of nature included. They are fertile ground for a new life. lynx



Mythology

There are many myths and legends surrounding the Reinhardswald came into circulation.

About his origin is told that the Bishop of Paderborn Reinhard and Earl have been gambling. The count was the owner of great estates and villages between Diemel and Weser. . The bishop and the count had ever won all his property kwijtt. Desperate, he begged to be allowed to harvest again. That was allowed. The smart Count Reinhard sent him out, burned their houses and planted acorns and beukennootjes.Tot so far that he could harvest the acorns, many years went by. The bishop capitulated for as much cunning, and so did the forest its name. At many places in the forest are still traces of the former arable found.

The oaks grew well, were large, old and creepy. They spoke of lost hikers who found their way using elves, or hikers in the twilight wandered through the forest and were plagued by nasty boswezens. giantess trendula



Many legends are about giantesses. One of them is about the Trendula giantess who lived on the Trendelburcht. Of her they said that they have a messy, profane woman would have been. As punishment, God sent thunder and lightning at her. The storm raged for seven days and nights the villagers giantess in her castle and fled. They hoped in this way the evil of the village to avert. Fleeing the giantess fell into a crevice that devoured her. He was filled with black-green water. People still talk about today "Grab der grüne Trendula laundry.

Trendelburg

About the huge old oak tree in the middle of the forest is being told that they would be haunted giantess Margarete.

According to a legend prevailed in the ancient walls of the 'Sababurg "a giant. His daughter Margarete fell in love with a young man who the father is not appreciated. While the lovers met, turned the raging giant both in an oak.

In the Middle Ages the old oak for a sad purpose. There were people hanging.



Tree Residents

Oak has a number of permanent residents: squirrel, pine marten and Jay.

The cavities in the trunk provide shelter and elmo litter equalities. The acorns are an important food for these animals. They also serve as a winter store and hid in the forest. Often the animals forget where they had buried their winter reserves. Then new trees grow from acorns. Jay up to seven acorns in his neck to stop.

Jay with acorn

For several years also feels the raccoon home in the hollows of old oaks, which he used to sleep.

Mushrooms, mosses and lichens grow on old wood, the beginning of decay. Despite their hollow trunks are often old oaks still viable, that each year in spring awakening from their winter. They have enough vitality to new leaves and flowers that will allow their residents to shelter in between.

The juice is from the roots against gravity sucked up into the branches so that the leaf nodes and flowers can unfold. They provide the oxygen that humans and animals need to breathe.

raccoon

Sometimes the oak leaves eaten by caterpillars. But the tree is an effective means of survival: St. Janslot, at the beginning of the summer appears.

Research shows that trees can withstand a collision rather than young. They are resistant to acid rain.



The old oak as a graveyard

In one part of the Reinhardswald is one of 15 German forest cemetery (Friedwald '), where people at the foot of an old oak or beech can be buried. This tree may together with the forester to death yourself. The urns are environmentally friendly, biodegradable material. They are buried in the forest and food for the old tree.



The legend of the giant daughters Saba, Brama and Trendula

The castles of Reinhardswald formerly lived a race of mighty giants. The most powerful was Kruko. He had his castle on a high hill between the rivers Weser and Diemel built. He had three daughters: Brama, Saba and Trendula. After his death, repented and Brama Saba to the Christian faith, while Trendula remained loyal to the old pagan gods. She pursued her sisters and tease them whenever they could. Especially Brama took it very much. She cried day and night until she was blind. Finally she left the Brucht her father and left the other side of the Weser build a castle, called "Bram Castle" was. Saba had a castle in the Reinhardswald build the 'Sababurg. At night when thick fog hid the forest and river, went to Saba for her blind step sister to visit. She stayed with her until the sun appeared above the Reinhardswald. Trendula found this out and decided to kill Saba.

One morning when Sheba walked back to her castle, she was attacked and strangled by Trendula. The place where this would have happened, even today called "Mordkammer. As punishment she was struck by lightning. This lightning was so strong that he and funnel of about 450 m in size would have beaten the forest floor, the water green giantess Trendula grave.