Luchwiesen, Nature reserve in Storkow (Mark), Germany

Luchwiesen is a nature reserve near Storkow featuring wetlands, damp meadows, and woodland patches that shelter diverse plant and animal species. The area is crossed by several small waterways and contains varied habitats spread across about 104 hectares.

In 1974 the Luchwiesen were provisionally secured as a nature reserve. Final protection of 109.69 hectares came through decision No. 130 of the Frankfurt/Oder district council on 14 March 1990, announced in the Märkische Oderzeitung on 16 May 1990. Section 32 of the Brandenburg Nature Conservation Act also protects inland salt sites generally. In the 17th century a saltworks probably stood on the site, later used for peat cutting and as grassland.

The name Luchwiesen refers to the fen meadows (Luch) on the site, not to lynxes. In the 17th century a saltworks probably stood here; afterwards the land was used for peat cutting and later as grassland. The 8.5-kilometre Storkower Salzweg crosses the meadows, with information boards on the origin, vegetation and water balance of the inland salt sites.

The 8.5-kilometre Storkower Salzweg runs through the meadows and links them with other inland salt sites around the Groß Schauener Seenkette; information boards along it explain the origin, vegetation and water balance of the salt springs. A single-track railway crosses the reserve and bridges the Storkower Canal on a steel truss bridge, so watch for trains. Much of the ground is wet peat and salt grassland.

The reserve's peat and lake-chalk soils hold up to 91% calcium carbonate, a lime content rarely found in Brandenburg. The saline groundwater rises from rock-salt layers the Zechstein Sea deposited about 255 million years ago. A single-track railway crosses the meadows on a steel truss bridge over the Storkower Canal.