Naturlehrpfad Gifhorn-Winkel

Round trail in Gifhorn/Winkel

The approximately 3.5-kilometre circular trail in the rural Gifhorn district of Winkel leads through a diverse landscape of flat areas and flat hills formed by the Ice Age. The hills were formed from the river dunes of the Aller glacial valley from the post-glacial period, the plains from former low terraces from the interglacial period. The old village center of Winkel is located on such a low terrace, the newer residential areas were largely built into the dune landscape. Today, the plains are used as fields and the wetter areas as meadows and pastures. In the depressions, there are small areas of moorland overgrown with shrubs, the so-called moor mudflats. In earlier times, the dunes were covered by heathland, but this was largely replaced by pine forests with the decline of heather sheep farming. Along the circular trail, the existing vegetation is described on 15 text and display boards, drawing attention to the functions of the forest and the special features of this unique landscape.