Stadtwald Augsburg, Nature reserve near Augsburg and Merching, Germany.
Stadtwald Augsburg is a nature reserve near the city of Augsburg and the municipality of Merching, made up of a large mixed forest with old pines, oaks, and ash trees. Several small streams run through it, creating a varied landscape with different types of ground and vegetation.
The protected area covers 2,167 hectares on Augsburg city territory and parts of Merching, forming Bavaria's largest contiguous riparian forest. It lies on Ice Age Lech gravel, and since 2007 Przewalski's horses have grazed the pine woods to open them up. The forest is divided by the Siebenbrunn settlement into the Siebentischwald to the north and the Haunstetter Wald to the south.
The name Siebenbrunn refers to the settlement inside the reserve that divides the woodland into the Siebentischwald to the north and the Haunstetter Wald to the south. Since 2007 a grazing project with Przewalski's horses has been used to open up the pine forest. In summer the Kuhsee lake hosts events such as the Kuhsee-Triathlon.
The reserve can be reached from several entry points and has marked trails suited to different levels of fitness. Sturdy footwear is a good idea since some paths can be muddy or uneven depending on the season.
Since 2007, a herd of Przewalski's horses has grazed parts of the Stadtwald Augsburg to thin out the pine forest and keep it open. The animals are a deliberate grazing project, and visitors walking the marked trails may come across them in the northern Siebentischwald.
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