Ampermoos, Nature reserve in Kottgeisering, Germany
Ampermoos is a 528-hectare nature reserve between Grafrath and the Ammersee, crossed south to north by the Amper. Its wet meadows grew from smallholders' litter-cutting, and calcareous springs favour orchids such as Orchis ochroleuca. The reserve is part of the Ramsar wetland and EU bird-protection area.
The German government officially designated this area as a protected nature reserve in 1982 to safeguard its ecological value. This protection reflected growing awareness about preserving wetland habitats in Bavaria.
The name Ampermoos combines the river Amper with the old Bavarian word Moos for fen. The species-rich litter meadows were created by smallholders who cut reeds and sedge in winter for animal bedding. When this winter mowing stopped, scrub spread and waders such as the curlew and snipe declined. Since the 1990s the Schutzgemeinschaft Ampermoos has worked to raise the water table, and a weir at Grafrath was completed on 3 July 2013.
The area is accessible through a network of marked trails offering multiple entry points to different sections. Parking is available near Grafrath S-Bahn station and at nearby sports grounds for visitor convenience.
The Amper flows through the reserve from south to north, and around 1900 it was navigable between Stegen and Grafrath, allowing the moor to be surveyed from the water. The Gasthaus "Dampfschiff" in Grafrath recalls that era. In normal winters, about 40 hen harriers roost here, a number that can rise to nearly one hundred.
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