Moorbad Gmös
Encyclopedia
The peat therapy resort Moorbad Gmös in the vicinity of the town of Laakirchen
(situated on the edge of the Salzkammergut
) is one of the few moorland
areas in the Alpine foothills of Upper Austria
. The moor dates back to the Mindel glaciation and was created by a "dead-ice
hole". In 1987 the local authorities of Upper Austria declared the Area of 3.4 ha
of the Gmöser Moor a natural preserve. A path around the area has since then given the visitor the opportunity of observing rare flora and fauna species. In 2002 the spa was chosen as background scenery for the TV-production "Schloßhotel Orth
".
The habitat was formed on a Moraine
of the Mindel glaciation and forms one of the few moors in the Alpine foothills on the east side of the Traun River
. Up to the time that humans began to interfere with nature, a moor landscape
with its variety of flora and fauna was able to develop. Due to cultivation of the moor landscape by man (drainage, peat-working, litter-harvesting etc.) the 3,4 ha Gmöser Moor can today be designated as a moor land forest or as a lower moor land which the original forms of flora and fauna have survived.
This was the reason that the Gmöser Moor was declared to be a natural preserve in 1987.
for the region.
For example, you can find Amphibians such as Yellow-bellied toad
s (Bombina variageta) – decidedly water inhabitants – and Reptiles such as the Grass Snake
(Natrix natrix) which live in damp forests, swamp and moor lands.
A great number of Bird species find the best conditions for breeding and have been observed for a number of years.
The Fieldfare
(Turdus pilaris) is to be found her with the only breeding colony of the whole area.
The Marsh warbler
(Acrocephalus palustris) is not solely bound to reed landscapeds, but is mainly to be found in bushy areas. It is a summer guest for us and spends the winter in Africa.
The Whinchat
(Saxicola rubetra) can be found in the surrounding meadows, as it is a typical meadow bird, which breeds on the ground. In the surroundings of the Gmöser Moor this bird could only be observed one or two times when breeding. The Whinchat is also a summer guest in Austria and spends the winter in Africa
The Eurasian Nuthatch
(Sitta europaea) remains with us all year round. It breeds in caves and draws the observer's attention to itself by being able to crawl headfirst down trees.
The Golden Oriole
(Oriolus oriolus) only visits us as a summer guest at the end of April on its return journey from Africa. It only breeds irregularly in Gmös, whereby its nest is strictly obscured high up in the trees. The male bird can be easily recognized by its bright yellow and black feathers.
The Common Kestrel
(Falco tinnunculus) can be observed over all open areas with flattering wings spread over a certain area and then pouncing down with closed wings on its prey of mice or other small mammals.
Other observed Bird species:
(Anas platyrhynchos), Grey Partridge
(Perdix perdix), Pheasant
(Phasianus colchicus), Quail
(Coturnix coturnix), Moorhen
(Gallinula chloropus), Wood Pigeon
(Columba palumbus), Great Spotted Woodpecker
(Dendrocopos major), Skylark
(Alauda arvensis), Wren
(Troglodytes troglodytes), Robin
(Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart
(Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Turdus merula), Song Thrush
(Turdus philomelos), Garden Warbler
(Sylvia borin), Blackcap
(Sylvia atricapilla), Willow Warbler
(Phylloscopus trochilus), Chiffchaff
(Phylloscopus collybita), Goldcrest
(Regulus regulus), Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus), Spotted Flycatcher
(Muscicapa striata), Marsh Tit
(Poecile palustris), Blue Tit
(Parus caeruleus), Great Tit
(Parus major), Coal Tit
(Periparus ater), Short-toed Treecreeper
(Certhia brachydactyla), Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Eurasian Jay
(Garrulus glandarius), European Magpie
(Pica pica), Carrion Crow
(Corvus corone), Tree Sparrow
(Passer montanus), House Sparrow
(Passer domesticus), Chaffinch
(Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch
(Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch
(Carduelis carduelis), Yellowhammer
(Emberiza citrinella) und Reed Bunting
(Emberiza schoeniclus).
(Ardea cinerea), White Stork
(Ciconia ciconia), Garganey
(Anas querquedula), Tufted Duck
(Aythya fuligula), Red Kite
(Milvus milvus), Hen Harrier
(Circus cyaneus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Honey Buzzard
(Pernis apivorus), Buzzard
(Buteo buteo), Hobby
(Falco subbuteo), Lapwing
(Vanellus vanellus), Curlew
(Numenius arquata), Green Sandpiper
(Tringa ochropus), Eurasian Woodcock
(Scolopax rusticola), Common Snipe
(Gallinago gallinago), Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Cuckoo
(Cuculus canorus), Long-eared Owl
(Asio otus), Tawny Owl
(Strix aluco), Common Swift
(Apus apus), Hoopoe
(Upupa epops), Grey-headed Woodpecker
(Picus canus), European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis), Barn Swallow
(Hirundo rustica), House Martin
(Delichon urbica), Tree Pipit
(Anthus trivialis), Dunnock
(Prunella modularis), Redstart
(Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Wheatear
(Oenanthe oenanthe), Redwing
(Turdus iliacus), Mistle Thrush
(Turdus viscivorus), Sedge Warbler
(Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Aquatic Warbler
(Acrocephalus paludicola), Reed Warbler
(Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Icterine Warbler
(Hippolais icterina), Lesser Whitethroat
(Sylvia curruca), Whitethroat
(Sylvia communis), Wood Warbler
(Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), Collared Flycatcher
(Ficedula albicollis), Crested Tit
(Lophophanes cristatus), Long-tailed Tit
(Aegithalos caudatus), Red-backed Shrike
(Lanius collurio), Jackdaw
(Corvus monedula), Common Raven
(Corvus corax), Brambling
(Fringilla montifringilla), Hawfinch
(Coccothraustes coccothraustes), Serin
(Serinus serinus), Siskin
(Carduelis spinus), Bullfinch
(Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Linnet
(Carduelis cannabina), Common Rosefinch
(Carpodacus erythrinus) and Common Crossbill
(Loxia curvirostra).
The manifold biotope structures and the special climate features which are prevalent in a moor landscape result in an extremely diverse insect world, which serves as a food source for the birds of the area.
In the area where peat
is dug, one can observe the most different sorts of Dragonflies and a great number of Mosquitos (Culicidadae).
The vegetation of the moor landscape is dominated mainly by moor land forests dominated by moor birch trees. Here one can observe the remnants of a great number of plants which are typical for moor land areas. Among these are the Downy birch (Betula pubescens), European heather (Calluna vulgaris), Milk Parsley (Peucedanum palustre), Blanket Mire (Eriophorum vaginatum
) and Common sedge (Carex nigra
).
Peat diggings can be found both in the centre and on the edges of the moor. The older sites are covered with marsh moss, whereas others can be identified by their duckweed, marsh cinquefoil and sparganium growth.
Peat Moss (Sphagnum sp.) is an excellent water store. They die off at the point where they stand in water and continue growing above this point. The underlying dead particles are continually compressed downwards by the new growth from above. Thus, over a period of several ten thousands of centuries, provided that the climate and environmental conditions are in order, smaller or larger layers of peat are created. The moor layer in Gmös is, however, not exceptionally thick, as the peat mosses could not compete with the pressure applied and could therefore not turn into an ombrothopfic moor.
On the pond within the moor landscape a widespread reed-cultivation
has developed.
Around 1900 Johann Vizithum – a farmer in the neighbouring village of Rahstorf – used to dig peat
in order to obtain fuel to run his threshing machine
. He had suffered over years from severe Arthritis
and realised, that whenever he trod barefoot in the bog
, he experienced a definite improvement of his ailments. This was the reason that the Moorbad Gmös was founded in 1907. Since that time peat has been manually dug and prepared on a daily basis. Following the applications the peat is returned to the moor.
, Františkovy Lázně
and Mariánské Lázně
in the Czech Republic
– even a small Upper-Austrian village got its first peat therapy spa. 1907 the first owner named the spa after his wife Cäcilia and people from all over the country came not only because of the established guest house but also because of the new bath house.
Cäcilienbad has been renamed into Moorbad Gmös, the infrastructure has been adapted to the contemporary requirements and even the methods of treatment have been improved and expanded in order to guarantee the patient’s recovery.
On 11 August an event of the Gmundner Festival is guest in Gmös for the first time. Peter Raab reads Thomas Bernhard
's „Wut und Komik" in a Matinee http://www.festwochen-gmunden.at/site/termin/C_Termin_Detail.php?termin_id=366.
in Gmös is a combination of mud baths, peat-packs and massages. This results in a synergetic effect, which in turn positively enforces the healing and soothing processes. The mud baths and the peat-packs especially cleanse the muscles and the body.
s are essential for improving the muscular
function and serve to improve all the muscular movements apparatus. Foot- and ear-reflex zone massage and special forms of traditional massage are used as supportive measures. Thus any tension and over acidification of the muscles, which often lead to pain and loss of mobility, can be treated.
is prepared directly from peat taken from the moor together with moor water which is rich in content. In order to increase the typical thermal factor the water is mixed with peat.
, lumbago, sciatica
, gout
, all wear symptoms of the joint
s and the spine
, chronic arthritis
, the symptoms following broken bones
and all over-tension
of the muscle
s.
ceremony could be carried out in the form of mass
conducted by the abbot
– Mr. Siebenhütter – of the monastery in Lambach
.
Laakirchen
Laakirchen is a municipality in the district of Gmunden in Upper Austria, Austria....
(situated on the edge of the Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
) is one of the few moorland
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
areas in the Alpine foothills of Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. The moor dates back to the Mindel glaciation and was created by a "dead-ice
Dead-ice
Dead-ice occurs when a glacier or ice sheet ceases to move and melts in situ. After the ice has melted it leaves behind a hummocky terrain produced by the deposition of glacio-fluvial sediments and ablation till as the ice melted. Such features include kettle holes...
hole". In 1987 the local authorities of Upper Austria declared the Area of 3.4 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
of the Gmöser Moor a natural preserve. A path around the area has since then given the visitor the opportunity of observing rare flora and fauna species. In 2002 the spa was chosen as background scenery for the TV-production "Schloßhotel Orth
Schloss Ort
Schloss Ort is an Austrian castle situated in the Traunsee lake, in Gmunden, 19 km from Vöcklabruck, the gate to Salzkammergut.-Early history:...
".
About the area
The habitat was formed on a Moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
of the Mindel glaciation and forms one of the few moors in the Alpine foothills on the east side of the Traun River
Traun River
Traun is a river in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Its source is in the Totes Gebirge mountain range in Styria. It flows through the Salzkammergut area and the lakes Hallstätter See and Traunsee. The Traun is a right tributary of the Danube, which it meets near the City of Linz...
. Up to the time that humans began to interfere with nature, a moor landscape
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
with its variety of flora and fauna was able to develop. Due to cultivation of the moor landscape by man (drainage, peat-working, litter-harvesting etc.) the 3,4 ha Gmöser Moor can today be designated as a moor land forest or as a lower moor land which the original forms of flora and fauna have survived.
This was the reason that the Gmöser Moor was declared to be a natural preserve in 1987.
Fauna
Due to the number of animals – of which some are severely endangered and all under protection – the Gmöser Moor represents a unique refuse and environment in form of a biotopeBiotope
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
for the region.
For example, you can find Amphibians such as Yellow-bellied toad
Yellow-bellied toad
The Yellow-Bellied Toad belongs to the order of Anura, the archaeobatrachial family of Bombinatoridae, and to the genus of fire-bellied toads.- Anatomy :...
s (Bombina variageta) – decidedly water inhabitants – and Reptiles such as the Grass Snake
Grass Snake
The grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...
(Natrix natrix) which live in damp forests, swamp and moor lands.
A great number of Bird species find the best conditions for breeding and have been observed for a number of years.
The Fieldfare
Fieldfare
The Fieldfare is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory, with many northern birds moving south during the winter. It is a very rare breeder in Great Britain and Ireland, but winters in large numbers in these...
(Turdus pilaris) is to be found her with the only breeding colony of the whole area.
The Marsh warbler
Marsh Warbler
The Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus palustris, is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and western Asia and winters mainly in south east Africa...
(Acrocephalus palustris) is not solely bound to reed landscapeds, but is mainly to be found in bushy areas. It is a summer guest for us and spends the winter in Africa.
The Whinchat
Whinchat
The Whinchat Saxicola rubetra is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in Africa.Its scientific name means "small rock-dweller", in reference to its habitat...
(Saxicola rubetra) can be found in the surrounding meadows, as it is a typical meadow bird, which breeds on the ground. In the surroundings of the Gmöser Moor this bird could only be observed one or two times when breeding. The Whinchat is also a summer guest in Austria and spends the winter in Africa
The Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Nuthatch
The Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and Asia, although not in Ireland. It belongs to the nuthatch family Sittidae....
(Sitta europaea) remains with us all year round. It breeds in caves and draws the observer's attention to itself by being able to crawl headfirst down trees.
The Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
The Eurasian Golden Oriole or simply Golden Oriole is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions...
(Oriolus oriolus) only visits us as a summer guest at the end of April on its return journey from Africa. It only breeds irregularly in Gmös, whereby its nest is strictly obscured high up in the trees. The male bird can be easily recognized by its bright yellow and black feathers.
The Common Kestrel
Common Kestrel
The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".This species...
(Falco tinnunculus) can be observed over all open areas with flattering wings spread over a certain area and then pouncing down with closed wings on its prey of mice or other small mammals.
Other observed Bird species:
| |
hatching bird species
MallardMallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
(Anas platyrhynchos), Grey Partridge
Grey Partridge
The Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix, also known as the English Partridge, Hungarian Partridge, or Hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds...
(Perdix perdix), Pheasant
Common Pheasant
The Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family . It is native to Georgia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe , it is simply known as the "pheasant"...
(Phasianus colchicus), Quail
Common Quail
The Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix, is a small bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is widespread and is found in parts of Europe, .- Description :It is a small rotund bird, essentially streaked brown with...
(Coturnix coturnix), Moorhen
Common Moorhen
The Common Moorhen is a bird in the Rallidae family with an almost worldwide distribution. The North and South American Committees of the AOU and the IOC have voted on or before July 2011 to split the American forms into a new species Common Gallinule, however, no other committee has voted to...
(Gallinula chloropus), Wood Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
The Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is a member of the dove and pigeon family Columbidae.- Distribution :...
(Columba palumbus), Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
The Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
(Dendrocopos major), Skylark
Skylark
The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...
(Alauda arvensis), Wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
(Troglodytes troglodytes), Robin
European Robin
The European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...
(Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart
Black Redstart
The Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus. Like its relatives, it was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family , but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher .-Description:The Black Redstart is 13–14.5 cm in length and 12–20...
(Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Turdus merula), Song Thrush
Song Thrush
The Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
(Turdus philomelos), Garden Warbler
Garden Warbler
The Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe into western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in central and southern Africa...
(Sylvia borin), Blackcap
Blackcap
The Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
(Sylvia atricapilla), Willow Warbler
Willow Warbler
The Willow Warbler is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia...
(Phylloscopus trochilus), Chiffchaff
Chiffchaff
The Common Chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia....
(Phylloscopus collybita), Goldcrest
Goldcrest
The Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
(Regulus regulus), Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus), Spotted Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
The Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range....
(Muscicapa striata), Marsh Tit
Marsh Tit
The Marsh Tit Poecile palustris is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the Willow, Père David's and Songar Tits. It is small with a black crown and nape, pale cheeks, brown back and greyish-brown wings and tail. Between 8 and 11 subspecies are recognised...
(Poecile palustris), Blue Tit
Blue Tit
The Blue Tit is a 10.5 to 12 cm long passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands...
(Parus caeruleus), Great Tit
Great Tit
The Great Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It is generally resident, and most Great Tits do not migrate except in extremely...
(Parus major), Coal Tit
Coal Tit
The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate to subtropical Eurasia and northern Africa. The Spot-winged Tit The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a...
(Periparus ater), Short-toed Treecreeper
Short-toed Treecreeper
The Short-toed Treecreeper, Certhia brachydactyla, is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European treecreeper species, the Common Treecreeper, with which it is...
(Certhia brachydactyla), Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Jay
The Eurasian Jay is a species of bird occurring over a vast region from Western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian Subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia...
(Garrulus glandarius), European Magpie
European Magpie
The European Magpie, Eurasian Magpie, or Common Magpie, , is a resident breeding bird throughout Europe, much of Asia and northwest Africa. It is one of several birds in the crow family named as magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies...
(Pica pica), Carrion Crow
Carrion Crow
The Carrion Crow is a member of the passerine order of birds and the crow family which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia.-Taxonomy:...
(Corvus corone), Tree Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult...
(Passer montanus), House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
(Passer domesticus), Chaffinch
Chaffinch
The Chaffinch , also called by a wide variety of other names, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Description :...
(Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch
Greenfinch
-Birds:* Black-headed Greenfinch * European Greenfinch * Oriental Greenfinch * Vietnam Greenfinch * Yellow-breasted Greenfinch -Other:...
(Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch
Goldfinch
Goldfinch may refer to any of the following species of bird from the genus Carduelis:* American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis* European Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis* Lawrence's Goldfinch, Carduelis lawrencei...
(Carduelis carduelis), Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
The Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is common in all sorts of open areas with some scrub or trees and form small flocks in winter....
(Emberiza citrinella) und Reed Bunting
Reed Bunting
The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
(Emberiza schoeniclus).
migrants, former breeding birds and guests
Grey HeronGrey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
(Ardea cinerea), White Stork
White Stork
The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
(Ciconia ciconia), Garganey
Garganey
The Garganey is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and western Asia, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India Santragachi and Australasia in winter, where large flocks can occur. This species was first described by Linnaeus in 1758...
(Anas querquedula), Tufted Duck
Tufted Duck
The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
(Aythya fuligula), Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
(Milvus milvus), Hen Harrier
Hen Harrier
The Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.It migrates...
(Circus cyaneus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Honey Buzzard
Honey Buzzard
The European Honey Buzzard , is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....
(Pernis apivorus), Buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
(Buteo buteo), Hobby
Eurasian Hobby
The Eurasian Hobby , or just simply Hobby, is a small slim falcon. It belongs to a rather close-knit group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis.-Description:...
(Falco subbuteo), Lapwing
Northern Lapwing
The Northern Lapwing , also known as the Peewit, Green Plover or just Lapwing, is a bird in the plover family. It is common through temperate Eurasia....
(Vanellus vanellus), Curlew
Eurasian Curlew
The Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia...
(Numenius arquata), Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
The Green Sandpiper is a small wader of the Old World. It represents an ancient lineage of the genus Tringa; its only close living relative is the Solitary Sandpiper . They both have brown wings with little light dots and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern...
(Tringa ochropus), Eurasian Woodcock
Eurasian Woodcock
The Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola, is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts...
(Scolopax rusticola), Common Snipe
Common Snipe
The Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia...
(Gallinago gallinago), Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Cuckoo
Common Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....
(Cuculus canorus), Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
(Asio otus), Tawny Owl
Tawny Owl
The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
(Strix aluco), Common Swift
Common Swift
The Common Swift is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes...
(Apus apus), Hoopoe
Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...
(Upupa epops), Grey-headed Woodpecker
Grey-headed Woodpecker
The Grey-headed Woodpecker , also known as the Grey-faced Woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family Piciformes....
(Picus canus), European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis), Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow
The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
(Hirundo rustica), House Martin
House Martin
The Common House Martin , sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia...
(Delichon urbica), Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis, is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and temperate western and central Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia....
(Anthus trivialis), Dunnock
Dunnock
The Dunnock, Prunella modularis, is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Europe and into Asia. It is by far the most widespread member of the accentor family, which otherwise consists of mountain species...
(Prunella modularis), Redstart
Common Redstart
The Common Redstart , or often simply Redstart, is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus...
(Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Wheatear
Northern Wheatear
The Northern Wheatear or Wheatear is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
(Oenanthe oenanthe), Redwing
Redwing
The Redwing is a bird in the thrush family Turdidae, native to Europe and Asia, slightly smaller than the related Song Thrush.-Taxonomy:...
(Turdus iliacus), Mistle Thrush
Mistle Thrush
The Mistle Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is found in open woods and cultivated land over all of Europe and much of Asia...
(Turdus viscivorus), Sedge Warbler
Sedge Warbler
The Sedge Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa...
(Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Aquatic Warbler
Aquatic Warbler
The Aquatic Warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate eastern Europe and western Asia, with an estimated population of 15,000 pairs. It is migratory, wintering in west Africa...
(Acrocephalus paludicola), Reed Warbler
Reed Warbler
The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
(Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Icterine Warbler
Icterine Warbler
The Icterine Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais . It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, Melodious Warbler. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa...
(Hippolais icterina), Lesser Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
The Lesser Whitethroat is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds in temperate Europe, except the southwest, and in western and central Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, wintering in Africa just south of the Sahara, Arabia and India.Unlike many typical warblers,...
(Sylvia curruca), Whitethroat
Whitethroat
The Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.This is one of several Sylvia species...
(Sylvia communis), Wood Warbler
Wood Warbler
The Wood Warbler is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains...
(Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), Collared Flycatcher
Collared Flycatcher
The Collared Flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family, one of the four species of Western Palearctic black-and-white flycatchers. It breeds in southeast Europe and southwest Asia and is migratory, wintering in sub Sahara Africa...
(Ficedula albicollis), Crested Tit
Crested Tit
The Crested Tit, Lophophanes cristatus , is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula...
(Lophophanes cristatus), Long-tailed Tit
Long-tailed Tit
The Long-tailed Tit or Long-tailed Bushtit is a common bird found throughout Europe and Asia. There are several extensive accounts of this species, most notably Cramp and Perrins, 1993; Gaston, 1973; and Harrap and Quinn, 1996...
(Aegithalos caudatus), Red-backed Shrike
Red-backed Shrike
The Red-backed Shrike is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae.English common names include 'Wariangle' and 'worrier'.-Description:...
(Lanius collurio), Jackdaw
Jackdaw
The Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
(Corvus monedula), Common Raven
Common Raven
The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...
(Corvus corax), Brambling
Brambling
The Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Etymology :The common English name is probably derived from the German "brâma", meaning bramble or a thorny bush. It has also been called the Cock o' the North and the Mountain Finch.- Description...
(Fringilla montifringilla), Hawfinch
Hawfinch
The Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its closest living relatives are the Evening Grosbeak from North America and the Hooded Grosbeak from Central America especially Mexico.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
(Coccothraustes coccothraustes), Serin
Serín
Serín is a district of the municipality of Gijón / Xixón, in Asturias, Spain.The population of Serín was 309 in 2004Serín is located on the western area of Gijón / Xixón, and borders the Asturian municipalities of Llanera, Corvera and Carreño.Barrios & Places:-External links:* - Gijón / Xixón...
(Serinus serinus), Siskin
Eurasian Siskin
The Eurasian Siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European Siskin, Common Siskin or just Siskin. Other names include Black-headed Goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia...
(Carduelis spinus), Bullfinch
Eurasian Bullfinch
The Bullfinch, Common Bullfinch or Eurasian Bullfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. In Anglophone Europe it is known simply as Bullfinch, as it is the original bird to bear the name bullfinch.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
(Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Linnet
Linnet
The Linnet is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.The Linnet derives its scientific name from its fondness for hemp and its English name from its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made.- Description :...
(Carduelis cannabina), Common Rosefinch
Common Rosefinch
The Common Rosefinch is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Europe, where it has spread westward from Asia in recent decades: it has even been recorded breeding in England once...
(Carpodacus erythrinus) and Common Crossbill
Common Crossbill
The Common Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the spruce forests of North America, where it is known as Red Crossbill, as well as Europe and Asia; some populations breed in pine forests in certain areas of all three continents, and in North...
(Loxia curvirostra).
The manifold biotope structures and the special climate features which are prevalent in a moor landscape result in an extremely diverse insect world, which serves as a food source for the birds of the area.
In the area where peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
is dug, one can observe the most different sorts of Dragonflies and a great number of Mosquitos (Culicidadae).
Flora
Eriophorum vaginatum
Eriophorum vaginatum L. is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the family Cyperaceae, native to bogs and other acidic wetlands throughout the Holarctic Kingdom. It is a 30-60 cm high tussock-forming plant with erect solitary spikelets.-External links:* in Flora of North America*...
) and Common sedge (Carex nigra
Carex nigra
Carex nigra Reichard is a perennial species of plants in the family Cyperaceae native to wetlands of Europe, western Asia, NW Africa and E North America. The eastern limit of its range reaches central Siberia, Turkey and probably Caucasus....
).
Peat diggings can be found both in the centre and on the edges of the moor. The older sites are covered with marsh moss, whereas others can be identified by their duckweed, marsh cinquefoil and sparganium growth.
On the pond within the moor landscape a widespread reed-cultivation
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
has developed.
History of the Spa in Gmös
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
in order to obtain fuel to run his threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
. He had suffered over years from severe Arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
and realised, that whenever he trod barefoot in the bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, he experienced a definite improvement of his ailments. This was the reason that the Moorbad Gmös was founded in 1907. Since that time peat has been manually dug and prepared on a daily basis. Following the applications the peat is returned to the moor.
Centennial
100 years ago – in time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, when the Emperor of Austria had spent his summer holidays at the spas of Karlovy VaryKarlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
, Františkovy Lázně
Františkovy Lázne
Františkovy Lázně is a town in Cheb District of Karlovy Vary Region in the western Bohemia , near the town of Cheb with about 5,200 inhabitants....
and Mariánské Lázně
Mariánské Lázne
Mariánské Lázně is a spa town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. The town, surrounded by green mountains, is a mosaic of parks and noble houses...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
– even a small Upper-Austrian village got its first peat therapy spa. 1907 the first owner named the spa after his wife Cäcilia and people from all over the country came not only because of the established guest house but also because of the new bath house.
Cäcilienbad has been renamed into Moorbad Gmös, the infrastructure has been adapted to the contemporary requirements and even the methods of treatment have been improved and expanded in order to guarantee the patient’s recovery.
On 11 August an event of the Gmundner Festival is guest in Gmös for the first time. Peter Raab reads Thomas Bernhard
Thomas Bernhard
Thomas Bernhard was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet. Bernhard, whose body of work has been called "the most significant literary achievement since World War II," is widely considered to be one of the most important German-speaking authors of the postwar era.- Life :Thomas Bernhard was...
's „Wut und Komik" in a Matinee http://www.festwochen-gmunden.at/site/termin/C_Termin_Detail.php?termin_id=366.
The Cure in the Bath House
The traditional cureCure
A cure is a completely effective treatment for a disease.The Cure is an English rock band.Cure, or similar, may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Cure , a short film starring Charlie Chaplin...
in Gmös is a combination of mud baths, peat-packs and massages. This results in a synergetic effect, which in turn positively enforces the healing and soothing processes. The mud baths and the peat-packs especially cleanse the muscles and the body.
Massages
Individually specified massageMassage
Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
s are essential for improving the muscular
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
function and serve to improve all the muscular movements apparatus. Foot- and ear-reflex zone massage and special forms of traditional massage are used as supportive measures. Thus any tension and over acidification of the muscles, which often lead to pain and loss of mobility, can be treated.
The mud bath
The mud bathPeat pulp bath
A peat pulp bath is a bath prepared of peat pulp from wetlands. Balneotherapy in form of peat pulp baths is offered in many health resorts.- History :...
is prepared directly from peat taken from the moor together with moor water which is rich in content. In order to increase the typical thermal factor the water is mixed with peat.
Peat-Packs
The parts if the body to be treated are covered with permeable fleece packs containing peat. According to requirement either the whole or parts of the body are then wrapped and subjected to a 50 Min cleansing procedure.Indications
The cure helps with rheumatismRheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
, lumbago, sciatica
Sciatica
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, or...
, gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
, all wear symptoms of the joint
Joint
A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...
s and the spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
, chronic arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, the symptoms following broken bones
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
and all over-tension
Muscle tone
In physiology, medicine, and anatomy, muscle tone is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles, or the muscle’s resistance to passive stretch during resting state. It helps maintain posture, and it declines during REM sleep.-Purpose:Unconscious nerve impulses maintain the...
of the muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
s.
The Guest House
The guest house is in the direct vicinity of the Bath-House, in order to offer those guests who do not live near the possibility of being treated. Both the Guest House and the Spa are family businesses, which with their maximum capacity of 16 guests, offer everybody individual treatment.Chapel Gmös
The building of the Chapel Gmös began in 1982. After a construction period of 3 months the consecrationConsecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
ceremony could be carried out in the form of mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
conducted by the abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
– Mr. Siebenhütter – of the monastery in Lambach
Lambach Abbey
Lambach Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Lambach in Austria.-History:A monastery was founded in about 1040 by Bishop Adalbero of Würzburg , which since 1056 has been a Benedictine abbey. During the 17th and 18th centuries a great deal of work in the Baroque style was carried out, much of it by...
.
External links
- www.moorbad.gmoes.at – official website of Moorbad Gmös
- DORIS interMAP-Entry detailed view of the area in the map of the local authorities
- The municipality's Information about the preserve