An old Rhine floodplain forest reserve on the Upper Rhine, where oxbows, sloughs and primeval alluvial woodland meet European conservation priorities.
Hördter Rheinaue
Hördter Rheinaue is a long-established nature reserve in the Upper Rhine floodplain of Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. Located south of Germersheim within the district of Germersheim, it protects one of the largest continuous stretches of alluvial forest (Auwald) in the state, shaped by old river channels, oxbow lakes, sloughs and the active flood dynamics of the Rhine.
The reserve is recognized at both national and European levels. Since 1966 it has been a protected area under German nature conservation law, and since 2004 it has also been designated as a Natura 2000 site under the EU Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. This dual status makes it a central node in the trans-regional protected landscape of the Palatinate Rhine floodplains, alongside neighboring reserves such as the Leimersheim and Neupotz oxbows.
Ecologically, the area is significant for its intact floodplain forest communities and for the rich birdlife that depends on the mosaic of open water, wet woodland and reed-fringed old channels. It is particularly known for breeding populations of species such as black kite, kingfisher, grey-headed woodpecker, middle spotted woodpecker, common teal and great cormorant, several of which are listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive.
