Altarm der Schwentine
Schwentinental, Germany · built 1984
The Schwentine Oxbow Lake (Altarm der Schwentine) is an area around part of the River Schwentine between Raisdorf and Klausdorf that was designated a nature reserve in 1984. It received this conservation status because the waterbody has remained close to its natural state due to its steep river banks and is a habitat for a range of rare plants and animals. It covers an area of 19 hectares (47 acres). In addition to the section of river it includes an oxbow lake, a tributary, hedgerows, wooded river banks and slopes, rich in herbs, and small ponds. The Schwentine valley, in which the nature reserve lies, was formed from a chain of dead-icefields that were left behind after the last ice age. After they had melted a chain of dammed-up lakes was formed and, when the water forced its way out, the present river valley of the Schwentine emerged.
NatureReserve data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).