Flottbektal

Summary

One of Hamburg's most beautiful parks, renowned since its creation, is the Jenischpark, located in the Klein-Flottbek district on the geest slope north of the Elbe. The Flottbektal is the only remaining tidal floodplain in Hamburg. It is a protected nature reserve because it is a rare and endangered type of biotope that is home to plant and animal species on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Description

The vegetation zones of the landscape depend on the tidal backwater of the Elbe River. The area closest to the Elbe and therefore most exposed to the tidal range is covered with willows (softwood floodplain forest). In higher areas, a floodplain dominated by reeds spreads out, which is particularly beautiful when in bloom. To the west of the floodplain, ash and beech forests stand on the ridges and slopes. Finally, in the north of the Flottbek Valley, where flooding from the Elbe tide hardly ever occurs, there is an alder population interspersed with plants from the open parkland. Due to the small size of the area, the fauna is not specialised and represented by all species found in the park landscape. The wet meadows of the Flottbek Valley attract insectivores, providing them with ideal feeding grounds. These include bats and birds that are no longer so common in the Hamburg area, such as the icterine warbler and typical warblers. In the park itself, tawny owls, European green woodpeckers and nightingales are noteworthy breeding birds. A particularly beautiful representative of the wildlife along the stream is the common kingfisher.