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TheBode Gorge (German:Bodetal) is a 10 km (6.2 mi) long ravine that forms part of theBode valley betweenTreseburg andThale in theHarz Mountains of central Germany. The German term,Bodetal (literally "Bode Valley"), is also used in a wider sense to refer to the valleys of theWarme andKalte Bode rivers that feed the River Bode.
At the Bode Gorge, theRiver Bode, which rises on the highest mountain in the Harz, theBrocken, has cut deeply into the hardRamberg granite rock. Theravine is about 140 m deep at Treseburg and some 280 m deep at Thale where it breaks out into theHarz Foreland. The Bode Gorge was designated anature reserve as early as 5 March 1937; its boundaries being subsequently expanded. Its current area – 473.78 hectares (1,170.7 acres) – makes it one of the largest nature reserves inSaxony-Anhalt.
Apart from intrusions of Ramberg granite, which rose to the surface and solidified 300 million years ago in theUpper Carboniferous Period, and their associatedveins ofquartz, the ravine of the Bode also cuts throughhornfels andknotenschiefer (a type ofslate), as well asargillite andgraywacke with quartz elements anddiabasedikes from theDevonian Period, 400 to 370 million years ago. Ramberg granite predominantly forms the front section of the ravine and characterises its highest rocks. It appears light-coloured due to the high proportion of whitefeldspar. Thequartz lends it a grey shade. The proportion of blackmica (biotite) is low and carries no weight in terms of colouring. The light-coloured granite stands out from the dark to black coloured rocks of hornfels and argillite. As a result, the front section of the ravine and the riverbed of the Bode in this area appear clearly lighter than the rear section. The argillite at the rear of the gorge shows bands of colour in places that evinces the former strata of the marinesediments. The stratifiedslate was only slightlymetamorphosed.
In the area of the Bode Gorge average annual temperatures range from 8 °C down to 6.5 °C and annual precipitation between 600 and 720 mm. But sharp, local differences in the ravine between, for example, the sunny, warm and dry southern slopes and the more shaded, cooler and damper northern slopes and valley floor, modify the local climate considerably.
The most common soil types are silicateleptosols, that belong to the thin stony soils around areas of rock and scree. In flatter areas with less rearrangement of the soil particles are stonyRanker leptosols of various thickness. One particular soil type, brownRanker occurs above argillite rock.Podsolisedbrown earth soils are found around the edges of the gorge.
In the area of the ravine the Bode has a width of 7 to 25 metres and descends 100 metres in 17 kilometres. Its river course and bed are very much in their natural state inside the ravine. Kettle-holes,rapids and scouring in the rock alternate with islands of gravel and flat river banks. The most notable rapids on the Bode, theBodekessel, not far southwest of the Königsruhe tavern, is shrouded in legend. It was a lowwaterfall before its explosive demolition in 1798. Stones and boulders occupy the riverbed. Slow-moving stretches of water occur, especially in the area of theHornfels (Zahme Bode); rapids (Wilde Bode) are found particularly in the lower part of the ravine and formed by the incision of the river into the blocks of Ramberggranite. The water regime inside the ravine is affected, however, by the dams owned by theBodewerk in the upper reaches of the river. The discharge can vary sharply: during the devastating New Year floods of 1925 a discharge of 350 m3/s was recorded; in the summer of 1926 the Bode almost ran dry (0.,35 m3/s). Other major floods occurred in 1667, 1730 and in April 1984. There was a plan to impound the Bode in the ravine as well in 1891 with a 150 m high dam proposed at theBodekessel. The plan was scrapped.
Only a few streams enter the Bode, on the right-hand side of the ravine. TheLuppbode is a lively, bubbling brook coming from the direction ofAllrode which joins the Bode near Treseburg. Another tributary stream is the Dambach, which empties into the Bode from a side ravine below the Rabenstein.
There is a rapid succession of habitats in the Bode Gorge that produces a tightly woven mosaic of vegetation, characterised by an especially rich variety of plant species.
The most common trees in the woods aresessile oak (Quercus petraea),large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos),sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus),silver birch (Betula pendula) androwan (Sorbus aucuparia). Also worth mentioning is thecommon yew (Taxus baccata).
Dominating the ground cover are plants like thewood bluegrass (Poa nemoralis),wavy hair-grass (Avenella flexuosa; especially in dry oak woods),white wood-rush (Luzula luzuloides),male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas),limestone oak fern (Gymnocarpium robertianum),wall hawkweed (Hieracium murorum),baneberry (Actaea spicata),small balsam (Impatiens parviflora),Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum),dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis).
A special plant community has grown on thegranite rocks. Plants such as thesnowy mespilus (Amelanchier ovalis),dyer’s greenweed (Genista tinctoria),browntop bent (Agrostis capillaris),sticky catchfly (Lychnis viscaria),blue stonecrop (Sedum reflexum) are particularly common.
The scenery in spring is graced bywood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) andyellow anemones (Anemone ranunculoides),hollowroot (Corydalis cava),spring vetchling (Lathyrus vernus),kidneywort (Hepatica nobilis) andalternate-leaved golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium alternifolium), which grows on stream banks, but also covers scree slopes like a carpet.Common toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) andspring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) also occur here and there.
Perennial honesty (Lunaria rediviva) andlarge white buttercup (Ranunculus platanifolius) may be found in places in the woods.
The Bode Gorge ist also ahabitat and refuge for many types of rare animal. Such rarities include thewildcat,Bechstein's bat,peregrine falcon,black stork,middle spotted woodpecker. The insect fauna is particularly varied.Thewhite-throated dipper andgrey wagtail can be observed hunting for insects on the stream beds.Mallard breed here and there in the reed beds or on remote gravel beds.In springfire salamanders can be seen splashing about in the Bode Gorge during the spawning season. Care must be taken when walking not to disturb them.
Where it flows through the gorge, theBode, is characterised by fast-flowing, clean, shady stretches of river. In addition tobrown trout it ish also home toloach,bullhead,three-spined stickleback andminnow.Rare visitors includepike,dace andperch.Rainbow trout have been introduced byanglers.
The Bode Gorge may only be passed through on foot. A cycle path or bridleway is not feasible due to the narrowness of the ravine. Climbing and walking off the path, mountain biking, canyoning, water walking and whitewater canoeing orrafting are banned in order to protect the wildlife andbiotope. Tourist facilities, restaurants and overnight accommodation are located at Thale by the entrance to the Bode Gorge.
A ten kilometre long footpath runs through the Bode Gorge between Thale and Treseburg. At pinch points the path is routed in steep zigzags and walkways over the rocks. From them there are superb views into the ravine. Paths lead down into the gorge from the observation rocks atRosstrappe and theHexentanzplatz ("Witches' Dance Floor"). From the latter there is also aridgeway to Treseburg.The Bode Gorge receives hundreds of thousands of visitors per year and is one of the leading tourist destinations in Saxony-Anhalt.
The following places of interest are listed in the order they occur along the Bode Gorge from Thale to Treseburg.
51°44′08″N11°00′35″E / 51.73556°N 11.00972°E /51.73556; 11.00972
