The Aschau is a stream in the

Südheide Nature Park The Südheide Nature Park ("Southern Heath Nature Park", German: ''Naturpark Südheide'') is a large protected area of forest and heathland in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It has been designated as a protected nature ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, It is a tributary of the

Lachte The Lachte is a right-hand tributary of the Aller in the Südheide Nature Park in the north German state of Lower Saxony. Course The Lachte rises in the northern part of the district of Gifhorn southwest of Sprakensehl. It flows initially s ...

, which in turn discharges into the

Aller Aller may refer to: Places Rivers * Aller (Germany), a major river in North Germany *Aller (Asturian river), a river in Asturias, Spain *River Aller, a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England Inhabited places in the United Kingdom *Aller, Devo ...

Source region

The Aschau originates in Loher Ponds (''Loher Teiche''), artificially-created in the 1890s. These ponds are fed by a headstream, the ''Drellebach''. In 1903 more ponds were added to the south and designated as the Aschau Ponds (''Aschau Teiche''). The entire area today consists of about 50 artificial ponds where

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a fresh- and brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also ...

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, ide,

signal crayfish The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a North American species of crayfish. It was introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, but ...

and

noble crayfish ''Astacus astacus'', the European crayfish, noble crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional food source. Like other true crayfish, ''A. astacus'' is restricted to fresh water, livi ...

are extensively farmed. The area is also a habitat for

gudgeon A gudgeon is a socket-like, cylindrical (i.e., ''female'') fitting attached to one component to enable a pivoting or hinging connection to a second component. The second component carries a pintle fitting, the male counterpart to the gudgeon, ...

roach Roach may refer to: Animals * Cockroach, various insect species of the order Blattodea * Common roach (''Rutilus rutilus''), a fresh and brackish water fish of the family Cyprinidae ** ''Rutilus'' or roaches, a genus of fishes * California roach ...

stickleback The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more closel ...

bitterling The bitterling-like cyprinids form the cyprinid subfamily Acheilognathinae. This subfamily contains four genera, although the Khanka spiny bitterling is often placed in '' Acheilognathus'', and at least 71 described species to date. Over half of ...

and swan mussels. The ponds have been part of a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

since 1982. In 1987 they were also designated as a bird reserve. Since 2003 the area has been an EU bird reserve and since 2005 it has been part of the EU's nature conservation project,

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

, as

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

86, the Lachte-Lutter-Aschau Nature Reserve.

Course

After leaving the Loher Ponds, the Aschau picks up the ''Dallebach'' and flows in a generally southerly direction, first through the Aschau Ponds. It passes under the B 191 federal road, is joined from the left by the ''Postmoorgraben'', and then flows through extensively managed meadows and natural, original forest to

Eschede Eschede () is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Situated approximately 15 km northeast of Celle, Eschede lies at the border of the Südheide Nature Park, a protected area of large forests and heaths. Today ar ...

, before continuing to Habighorst. It then picks up the ''Quarmbach'' from the right, a stream which rises in ''Rahmoor'', and which forms a large swamp and lake area just before its confluence with the Aschau. Just north of this area is the Hoppenrieth Nature Reserve. By the 15th century the ''Quarmbach'' had been impounded to drive the local mill, the ''Quarmühle'' and some of the ponds must date back to that period. In the 1980s the mill fell into disrepair and later burned down. The Aschau continues past the abandoned ''Mariaglück'' potash mine. Kalibergwerke in Deutschland and on to

Höfer Höfer (also spelled Hoefer) is a German surname, derived from ''Hof'' (yard, court), which refer to: * Candida Höfer (born 1944), German photographer, daughter of Werner Höfer * Edmund Hoefer (1819-1882), German novelist and literary historian ...

. It flows south through

Beedenbostel Beedenbostel is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...

and discharges shortly afterwards into the

References

External links

{{Commons category, Aschau (Lachte)
Loher Teiche

Rivers of Lower Saxony Celle (district) Sudheide and Aschauteiche Protected areas of Lower Saxony Rivers of Germany