Rotes Wasser von Olfen, Nature reserve in Odenwald, Germany

Rotes Wasser von Olfen is a nature reserve with peat bogs, wet meadows, and heathland areas in the Odenwald region. The landscape shows different habitats that connect together, creating a mix of wet and drier zones.

The reserve was established in 1980 after an official biotope survey found that this waterlogged, partly peaty valley is the only place in the Odenwald with a small-scale mosaic of fen and intermediate bog communities, nutrient-poor wet meadows, mat-grass turf and dwarf-shrub heath. In 2008 the larger FFH area was designated, taking in the farmed meadows up to the L 3120 road.

The name Rotes Wasser refers to the reddish, iron-bearing water that rises in the partly peaty headwater valley of the Hinterbach. South of the bog, at a crossroads of Kreisstraße 47 on a spur of the Spessartskopf, stands the Olfener Bild, a late-Gothic wayside shrine carved from sandstone.

The reserve is accessible through marked trails, and visitors should stay on designated paths to protect the sensitive ecosystem. Wear appropriate footwear since the ground is often wet and muddy.

The reserve is home to carnivorous sundew plants, cotton grass, and specialized peat moss species that thrive in nutrient-poor conditions. These rare plants depend on the bog's special conditions and form much of the biodiversity you will encounter.