Elm-Lappwald Nature Park

The area of the present-day nature park was already permanently settled in the 6th century BC, as evinced by the megalith graves. The settlement of this region by man changed the natural, vegetative cover, albeit the first settlers in the middle Stone Age, who were hunters, fishermen and gatherers, did not made any significant contribution to these changes. The hollows in the area with their deposits of loess soils encouraged early arable farming during the Stone Age. The dense woods were cleared very early on. The greatest loss of woodland occurred during the time of the great clearances (900 to 1200 AD), when the natural landscape was "brought under cultivation". Today place names ending in -rode, -hörst and -feld go back to this time of settlement. The

Elm. With its good soils, the area continues to be used for arable farming. Since the Middle Ages the towns of Königslutter, Schöningen, Schöppenstedt and Helmstedt, all within the nature park, have been steeped in history. A key factor in the early development of Helmstedt (already established by 952) was its location on the trade route from Brunswick to Magdeburg, the present B 1 federal highway

.

Flora and fauna

The

Elm is the largest and most attractive beech forest in North Germany. Amongst the varied landscapes of the natur park are large areas of forest, moors, springs, lakes, heathland, salt meadows and chalk downs, rich in plant species. The park is home to over 800 species of plant, of which more than 10% are endangered. Birds, mammals and amphibians also occur in abundance in the nature parks habitats. The Reitling valley in the Elm and the Brunnen valley in the Lappwald have been described as "idyllic".^[1]