left, Leutratal in winter 2015, after the removal of the Autobahn Leutratal valley 2008

NSG Leutratal und Cospoth (often referred to simply as Leutratal) is an important nature reserve in Germany, southwest of the town of

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

. The reserve is maintained by Naturschutzbund Deutschland. The reserve contains the valley of the river Leutra and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

forest. The nature reserve measures 582.9 hectares. The bedrock is

Muschelkalk The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ye ...

(limestone). In 2018, 23% of the reserve was

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

forest and 16% broadleaf trees, 23% was xerothermic

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifici ...

, 9% brome semi-dry

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natu ...

and 14% agricultural use.Thüringer Landesanstalt für Umwelt und Geologie - Naturschutzgebiete
/ref> Rare tree species growing in the forests and on the slope include wild pear and

wild service tree ''Sorbus torminalis'', with common names wild service tree, chequers, and checker tree, is a species of tree in the mountain ash or rowan genus (''Sorbus'') of the rose family (Rosaceae), that is native to Europe, parts of northern Africa and w ...

. A huge variety of wildflowers grow in the valley, including at least 26 species of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

. Other flowers in the reserve include Carthusian pink, purple gromwell and liquorice milk-vetch. In 2007 the protected area was expanded by 441.4 hectares from its initial size of 141.5 hectares. During the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...

era a motorway (the A4) was built through the valley, however

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

's government had a 3 kilometre road tunnel built in 2014 ( Jagdbergtunnel) to expand capacity of the

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...

while reducing the impact of the road on the nature reserve.Thüringer Allgemeine - Jagdbergtunnel: Alte A4-Trasse im Leutratal bei Jena wird ab 2016 renaturiert
/ref>Zeit - An Autobahn Disappears
/ref> The results of this work have so far been mixed. The burial of the Autobahn led to invasive non-native plant species including '' Bunias orientalis'' (Turkish rocket) colonising the bare ground, which it is feared threaten to displace native wildflowers, however it has also already been observed that more

bats Bats are mammals of the Order (biology), order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in fli ...

(including '' Rhinolophus hipposideros'') are visiting the valley. Image:Orchis_x_hybrida_LC0354.jpg, ''Orchis militaris''x''purpurea'' natural hybrid, photographed in the reserve in 2014 Image:Thueringen_leutratal_der_ort.jpg, Leutratal in 2016, looking towards Leutra Image:Jagdbergtunnel_am_09_Sept_2008.jpg, An aerial view of the Leutra valley in 2008, after the expansion of the nature reserve, but before the Autobahn was removed.

References

Nature reserves in Thuringia {{Thuringia-geo-stub