The airplanes fly low above us. The busy airport is just a few kilometers away, only the sounds of the landing and departing planes remind of its proximity. But when the sky is clear, the place is calm and relaxed. They coexist in complete contrast, the silence to its neighboring busyness.
history
Now it is a nature reserve but during the first and second world war this heathland was used for military purposes, as a training area, airfield and prisoner of war camp.
Today one-fifth of the area is the Cologne-Bonn Airport. Munition can still be found which is why walking around is only permitted on specifically marked paths.
Out of all nature conservation areas in NRW, how high is biodiversity here?
This heathland is the second largest in North Rhine-Westphalia and has the highest biodiversity. Over 700 endangered animal and plant species live in the swamps, ponds, dunes, wet meadows and dry grasslands, streams and river- side forests.
