- for any weather
- for school classes
- for families
- for individual guests
- for children (all ages)
- Free admission
Kahle Pön
Nature conservation area/natural monument
A jewel of the Hochheide near Usseln
Address
Kahle Pön
34508 Willingen (Upland)
Telephone: +49 5632 / 9694353
Fax: +49 5632 / 9694395
Properties:
An impressive high heath landscape has spread across the plateau of the 774 m high Kahle Pön near Usseln. In addition, there are valuable mountain meadows, rough pastures and a wet meadow area with rare orchids interspersed with spring streams.
Historical photos show that in the 1920s, the Kahle-Pön was without any tree vegetation, in keeping with its name. In the 1950s, historical use was discontinued and parts of the area were afforested with spruce trees, which had a negative impact on the microclimate and the heathland.
Today, the area covers around 30 hectares and is intensively maintained in order to preserve the heathland vegetation in the long term. Intensive maintenance measures such as ploughing with special machines and grazing with sheep and goats are necessary to preserve the Heid. The sheep keep the grasses and herbs short, while the goats destroy fast-growing saplings from trees and shrubs, thus helping to regenerate the heathland.
The area is known for its rich flora, including broom heather, lingonberry, bilberry, club moss and arnica. It provides a habitat for 46 species of breeding birds, including the rare great grey shrike and red-backed shrike. The high breeding populations of tree pipit and meadow pipit are particularly noteworthy. In the migration season, wheatears and the northern ring ouzel can be observed. Butterfly enthusiasts will find 68 recorded species here, including typical high heath species such as the mountain blueberry budmoth and the blueberry moth. 16 beetle species, such as the Heid leaf beetle and the scarlet fire beetle, have also been documented.
On the "Blick-ins-Land Kahle Pön" quality tour, you will get to know the beauty of this landscape, experience breathtaking views and discover old boundary stones from 1769, which mark the historical border between the Principality of Waldeck (coat of arms star on the north side) and Kur-Köln (cross on the south side), today's Hesse-North Rhine-Westphalia state border. The U4 hiking trail also leads to the edge of the Pön plateau.
Experience the unique beauty of the Kahle Pön and contribute to the preservation of this valuable biotope by not leaving the hiking trails!
Historical photos show that in the 1920s, the Kahle-Pön was without any tree vegetation, in keeping with its name. In the 1950s, historical use was discontinued and parts of the area were afforested with spruce trees, which had a negative impact on the microclimate and the heathland.
Today, the area covers around 30 hectares and is intensively maintained in order to preserve the heathland vegetation in the long term. Intensive maintenance measures such as ploughing with special machines and grazing with sheep and goats are necessary to preserve the Heid. The sheep keep the grasses and herbs short, while the goats destroy fast-growing saplings from trees and shrubs, thus helping to regenerate the heathland.
The area is known for its rich flora, including broom heather, lingonberry, bilberry, club moss and arnica. It provides a habitat for 46 species of breeding birds, including the rare great grey shrike and red-backed shrike. The high breeding populations of tree pipit and meadow pipit are particularly noteworthy. In the migration season, wheatears and the northern ring ouzel can be observed. Butterfly enthusiasts will find 68 recorded species here, including typical high heath species such as the mountain blueberry budmoth and the blueberry moth. 16 beetle species, such as the Heid leaf beetle and the scarlet fire beetle, have also been documented.
On the "Blick-ins-Land Kahle Pön" quality tour, you will get to know the beauty of this landscape, experience breathtaking views and discover old boundary stones from 1769, which mark the historical border between the Principality of Waldeck (coat of arms star on the north side) and Kur-Köln (cross on the south side), today's Hesse-North Rhine-Westphalia state border. The U4 hiking trail also leads to the edge of the Pön plateau.
Experience the unique beauty of the Kahle Pön and contribute to the preservation of this valuable biotope by not leaving the hiking trails!
Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors