A floodplain sanctuary in the Upper Lusatian Spree valley, protecting rivers, fishponds, and floodplain forests for breeding and migratory birds.
Spreeniederung Malschwitz
Spreeniederung Malschwitz is a combined Natura 2000 site in eastern Saxony, Germany, encompassing both a Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH) area and a European Bird Protection Area (SPA). It lies northeast of the city of Bautzen, spanning parts of the municipalities of Großdubrau and Malschwitz in the district of Bautzen, and sits within the broader Spreeniederung landscape protection area.
The site protects the Spree river lowlands, including the channels of the Spree and the Kleine Spree (known in Upper Sorbian as Mała Sprjewja), along with a mosaic of fishponds, wet meadows, oxbow lakes, brooks, ditches, ponds, and so-called Himmelsteiche that can dry out seasonally. Its floodplain forests and oak-hornbeam woodlands contain a significant proportion of old-growth trees and deadwood, supporting specialised habitats for flora and fauna.
The area is especially important for birds, functioning both as a breeding ground for species tied to semi-open floodplain and agricultural landscapes and as a key resting and staging site for migratory waterfowl. It borders the large Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape Biosphere Reserve to the north and connects ecologically with the Bautzen Reservoir to the southeast.
