Why Steilrand und Schotterfeld des Argentals südlich der Kochermühle stands out
The protected area is known above all for its Late Glacial Argen terrace, one of the more compact and well preserved glacial geomorphological features in the western Bodenseebecken. Its steep edge (Steilrand) and gravel-field character (Schotterfeld) preserve a clear cross-section of meltwater and terrace deposits left by the retreating Würm ice. The site is also valued as part of a tightly clustered group of small nature and landscape reserves around Kressbronn that collectively document the ice-age origin of the Argen valley. Within that cluster it serves as a focused reference site for the Argen terrace itself, complementing reserves that protect associated drumlins, end moraines, and flat moors.
Steilrand und Schotterfeld des Argentals südlich der Kochermühle landscape and geographic character
The landscape of the reserve is defined entirely by its glacial and periglacial inheritance. It sits within the Bodenseebecken, the broad basin occupied by Lake Constance, and more specifically within the valley of the Argen, the principal tributary that flows into the lake from the east.
Its central feature is a Late Glacial terrace of the Argen, a flat bench of former river and meltwater sediments bounded by a distinct Steilrand, the steep drop that marks the terrace's outer edge. Across this bench lies the Schotterfeld, the open gravel-covered surface where coarse outwash material from the retreating Würm ice is exposed at ground level. The combination of flat terrace top, abrupt edge, and gravel field gives the unit a strongly cross-sectional, almost diagrammatic quality. The reserve sits at roughly 410 metres above sea level, an elevation that places it clearly within the Lake Constance basin rather than on the surrounding moraine uplands.
Steilrand und Schotterfeld des Argentals südlich der Kochermühle ecosystems, habitats, and plant life
Vegetation and habitat in the reserve are closely tied to its glacial substrate. The gravel-rich terrace surface and its thin, well-drained soils favour dry grassland communities and open, sparsely vegetated ground rather than closed forest. Settlement names like Heidach reflect this character, the term suggesting historically open, heath-like land.
The protected area does not present itself as a forested reserve; instead it functions as a small, open geomorphological landscape whose ecological value lies primarily in the rare combination of dry gravel ground, exposed terrace edges, and connectivity with the much larger Eiszeitliche Ränder des Argentals mit Argenaue that surrounds it on three sides. Together these units maintain a continuum of dry, sun-exposed, and structurally diverse ice-age landforms within an otherwise more intensively used agricultural and settlement landscape along the northern shore of Lake Constance.
Steilrand und Schotterfeld des Argentals südlich der Kochermühle conservation status and protection priorities
The conservation significance of the area is grounded directly in its designation purpose. As a Landschaftsschutzgebiet under LSG number 4.35.005, it is one of the earliest formal landscape protections in the post-war Bodenseekreis, having been put in place by an ordinance of the Landratsamt Tettnang on 10 September 1954.
Its protective objective is narrowly defined: the preservation of the Late Glacial Argen terrace and its associated steep edge and gravel surface. Because the reserve is bordered to the north, west, and south by the larger Eiszeitliche Ränder des Argentals mit Argenaue, its importance scales up beyond its modest size. Together, the two reserves maintain a connected corridor of glacial landforms along the Argen valley, ensuring that the terrace, its edge, and the surrounding ice-age topography are protected as a single coherent geomorphological system.
Top sights and standout views in Steilrand und Schotterfeld des Argentals südlich der Kochermühle
The reserve's standout quality is the clarity of its glacial expression: a compact Late Glacial Argen terrace with both a well defined steep edge and an open gravel surface, protected as a discrete unit since 1954. It is also notable for its tight integration with the neighbouring Eiszeitliche Ränder des Argentals mit Argenaue, forming part of a connected chain of Bodenseekreis reserves that document the ice-age origin of the Argen valley near Lake Constance.
