Gohfelder Schweiz

A lively stream in a deep valley

The Mittelbach valley is characterized by its sometimes very steep and up to 5 m unusually high terrain edges. When grassland was no longer economically viable for agriculture, the meadows in the Mittelbach valley were abandoned. In places, the valley was afforested with hybrid poplars, which were considered a good source of timber due to their fast growth. Over time, however, the alder conquered the damp valley and an alder scrub forest slowly developed. In the 19th century, the Mittelbach supplied three water mills with water power on its Löhner flow section alone. In extremely dry summers, the stream dried up in places as too much water was taken. All the animals in the stream died as a result of the drying out. Repopulation could only take place slowly, partly because the intensive use of the water made it considerably more difficult for the stream animals to migrate.
Today, the Mittelbach in the Gohfelder Schweiz area has a predominantly near-natural character and is one of the less polluted streams in the district. A species-rich aquatic fauna can be found on and under stones in the watercourse. Brown trout can also be found here.

Further information: www.fahr-im-kreis.de