Großer Zschand
Encyclopedia
The Großer Zschand is the longest dry valley
in Saxon Switzerland
and runs for about 6 km from the Neumann Mill in the Kirnitzsch valley
to the Roßmaulwiese meadown in Bohemian Switzerland. The Großer Zschand has no permanent watercourse; during times of snowmelt
or after heavy rain, individual, locally limited watercourses and small marshy areas are formed.
and Saxony
. At Zeughaus there used to be a customs post. Until the present Bundesstraße 172 from Schmilka via Hrensko
to Decin
had been fully upgraded, the Großer Zschand was used as a transport link from Bad Schandau
.
Salt licks and bear pits are witness to hunting in the region.
An educational path, the Flößersteig ("Rafting Trail") begins at the Neumann Mill, running parallel to the Kirnitzsch river to Bad Schandau
. In the northern part of the Großer Zschand, under a rock overhang, is a cave, closed with an iron door that acted as an explosive chamber until the end of the Second World War in order to block the valley at this point.
) slopes and their associated rock formations (Thorwalder Wände and Partschenhörner).
and, from the Zeughaus, in its strictly protected core zone. On the opening of the national park it was intended in future to open a pedestrian border crossing in the Großer Zschand into the Bohemian Switzerland National Park which was opened 10 years later. This has still not come to fruition. As part of the year 2000 trail concept in the national park the Großer Zschand was closed at the Hickelschlucht ravine and so a pedestrian border crossing is no longer possible.
Dry valley
A dry valley is a valley found in either karst or chalk terrain that no longer has a surface flow of water.There are many examples of the latter along the North and South Downs in southern England...
in Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
and runs for about 6 km from the Neumann Mill in the Kirnitzsch valley
Kirnitzsch
The Kirnitzsch, in Bohemia also called the Kirnischt , is a right tributary of the River Elbe, which passes through the Czech Republic and the German Free State of Saxony.- Geography :...
to the Roßmaulwiese meadown in Bohemian Switzerland. The Großer Zschand has no permanent watercourse; during times of snowmelt
Snowmelt
In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many parts of the world, in some cases contributing high...
or after heavy rain, individual, locally limited watercourses and small marshy areas are formed.
History
The Großer Zschand was used in the days before the development of Saxon Switzerland as a trade route between BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. At Zeughaus there used to be a customs post. Until the present Bundesstraße 172 from Schmilka via Hrensko
Hrensko
Hřensko is a small village of approximately 320 inhabitants in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic on the border with Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Kamenice and Labe rivers and was established during the 15th century as a trading settlement...
to Decin
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...
had been fully upgraded, the Großer Zschand was used as a transport link from Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch.-Geography:...
.
Salt licks and bear pits are witness to hunting in the region.
An educational path, the Flößersteig ("Rafting Trail") begins at the Neumann Mill, running parallel to the Kirnitzsch river to Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch.-Geography:...
. In the northern part of the Großer Zschand, under a rock overhang, is a cave, closed with an iron door that acted as an explosive chamber until the end of the Second World War in order to block the valley at this point.
Geology
The northern part of the Großer Zschand cuts like a gorge through the surrounding rock and has a moist, cool, cellar-like climate. The southern part, from the Zeughaus (armoury), is a broad valley with forested (spruce monocultureMonoculture
Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is also known as a way of farming practice of growing large stands of a single species. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from...
) slopes and their associated rock formations (Thorwalder Wände and Partschenhörner).
Economic importance
As well as its historic importance as a trade route between Saxony and Bohemia and its use for hunting, the woods of the Großer Zschand supplied wood until the 1980s and logs were transported into the Kirnitzsch valley. In side ravines traces of old tracks for the transportation of wood are still visible today. The car park by the Neumann Mill was formerly used as a washout area (Ausschwemmplatz) for rafting on the Kirnitzsch river.National Park
The Großer Zschand is located entirely within the Saxon Switzerland National ParkSaxon Switzerland National Park
The Saxon Switzerland National Park , is a National Park in the German Free State of Saxony near the capital city of Dresden. It covers two areas of 93.5 km² in the heart of the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains which is called the Saxon Switzerland .The National Park is not far away...
and, from the Zeughaus, in its strictly protected core zone. On the opening of the national park it was intended in future to open a pedestrian border crossing in the Großer Zschand into the Bohemian Switzerland National Park which was opened 10 years later. This has still not come to fruition. As part of the year 2000 trail concept in the national park the Großer Zschand was closed at the Hickelschlucht ravine and so a pedestrian border crossing is no longer possible.