Valuable LandscapesThe Moorlands of Upper Swabia

Take off your shoes and just do it: In the Wurzacher Ried in the Upper Swabia-Allgäu Region, there is a rustic moor basin in the middle of the countryside. If you’re brave enough to step in, you won’t be standing in ice-cold, crystal-clear water like you would when taking a Kneipp cure. You’ll stand up to your ankles in mud, sorry, in the moor. It takes a little effort to do it, but it feels pleasantly cool, soft, and soothing to the feet, especially on hot summer days. Afterwards, you can wash off your feet in the stream on the other side off the forest path, making a very pleasant end to your hike through the Wurzacher Ried. The moor here is so valuable it has been designated a European bird and flora and fauna habitat conservation area (‘Natura 2000’).

Moors such as the Wurzacher Ried in Bad Wurzach are valuable natural areas, especially now in the fight against climate change. Not only are they home to many rare animals and plants, they are also the most effective carbon stores of all terrestrial habitats on Earth. Think about it this way: Moorlands store the carbon from plants, the residues of which are then preserved in the form of peat. But unfortunately, the moors of the world are not doing well. And Germany is no different: around 95 per cent of the moorlands have been drained. Dry, destroyed moorlands are therefore also responsible for around 5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. And the situation is even worse in other regions of the world. Reason enough to value the moors and restore them where they have been drained, and to avoid using peat in garden soil.

How Melting Glaciers Create Moors

In Southwest Germany, there are still more than 170 square miles of moorland, making up around 1.3 per cent of the state area. Particularly north of Lake Constance, in the Upper Swabia-Allgäu Region, the melting glaciers in the Würm glaciation around 12,000 years ago left depressions in which meltwater collected and could no longer drain off. Shallow lakes formed, which became into fascinating moors such as the Wurzacher Ried, the Federseemoor and the Pfrunger-Burgweiler Ried. Because of the lack of oxygen in still water, dead plants could not decompose completely and were deposited on the ground as peat - their carbon stored down there.

Why the Haidgau Outlet Lakes Are Crystal-Clear

A guided walk on the moor with Siegfried Roth, head of the local nature conservation centre, starts in the afternoon. He is enthusiastic about this intact upland moor, which is largely fed by rainwater, the unique habitat for rare birds such as cranes, which have been breeding here again for some years. And about the Haidgau Outlet Lakes (Haidgauer Quellseen), which can be looked at from a small wooden platform. They are quite shallow and incredibly clear due to their hard, mineral-rich water. No wonder they are Roth’s favourite place. According to the expert, what makes the Wurzacher Ried so special is that there are so many different types of moor: Spring moors, rainfall-dependent upland moors, and low moors shaped by rivers. Which will be your favourite?

Rare Birds in the Wurzacher Ried

In the past, moors were not only eerie for people because of their often almost mystical atmosphere, they were also simply hostile, dangerous stretches of land. Today, it is not only experts like Siegfried Roth who appreciate these unique landscapes. “I find it fascinating that there are areas in the middle of the Wurzacher Ried where humans have never intervened and where no one can go even now.” Rare birds such as black storks, corncrakes, and spotted crakes migrate through this zone, which makes up about a third of the reed. Water-retaining mosses have colonised the area and the sundew, which compensates for the lack of nitrogen in the moor by attracting and feeding on insects with its sticky leaves.

Idyllic Moor

The moor never really lets you go, and it is just as fascinating in the summer without the fog. In the evening at Lake Riedsee in Bad Wurzach, the sun is low in the sky, tinting the clouds pink and casting colourful reflections on the calm lake. A few azure damselflies buzz just above the surface towards the carpet of water lilies, their territory. Two great crested grebes paddle by. Birds chirp. The reeds rustle. Just stand still on the footbridge and say nothing. You are just a spectator here. And it feels great.