Top 5 Gorges around Kottmar

The Roschertal owes its existence to a geological peculiarity. It is a breakthrough valley of the Mandau, which has cut through a basalt layer and underlying tertiary tuff layers. Such valleys are formed when a river erodes rock over long periods of time, while the surrounding area may rise or the water cuts deeper. Geological development: 1. Tertiary deposits: In the Tertiary period (around 65 to 2.6 million years ago) the area was characterized by volcanic activity. Tuff - a rock made of volcanic ash - was deposited. Later, basalt flows poured over it and formed a resistant covering layer. 2. Cutting of the Mandau: The Mandau, a tributary of the Neisse, began to work its way through the harder basalt layer over time. Since basalt is much more resistant than the tuff underneath, the erosion process was uneven. The softer rock layers were eroded more quickly, so that the valley gradually deepened. 3. Formation of the breakthrough valley: As the rock was further eroded, the steep, wooded slopes of the Roschertal that are visible today were created. These reach heights of around 50 to 60 meters above the valley floor. 4. Late Pleistocene influence: During the ice ages, the landscape was further shaped when frost weathering and landslides affected the valley flanks. During this time, the Mandau transported more meltwater and debris, which caused the river to dig in further. Special features today: The Roschertal is not only a geologically interesting area, but also an example of the natural development of Upper Lusatia. The interplay of basalt and tuff layers gives the landscape a varied morphology. Erosion has created some bizarre rock formations, and the forest that has developed in the valley protects the loose rock layers from further erosion. The fact that the Mandau has formed a breakthrough valley here also influences the water dynamics. The flow can vary greatly depending on the water level, which is noticeable in small cascades and whirlpools. In summary, the Roschertal is a product of the volcanic past, fluvial erosion and ice age processes - an exciting geological formation that also offers an attractive landscape for hikers and nature lovers.

A real insider tip for a nice hike without many people.

A beautiful untouched piece of earth🥰

The Georgewitzer Skala, a small rocky valley in the foothills of the Lusatian mountains (north of the Löbauer mountain), has been on our list of things to visit for a long time. The Löbau water, which once made its way through the rocks there, still ripples happily to this day. A hiking trail leads through the valley, which is worth seeing and is up to 35 m deep in places - on one side and back again on the other.

The Georgewitzer Skala was created over a length of approx. 1.3 km by the erosive action of the Löbau water as a deeply incised, south-north oriented, canyon-like rocky valley (skala = Slavic term for rock). This form of a breakthrough valley is more common in Upper Lusatia, especially in the Upper Lusatia region (cf. Gröditzer scale, Lausk scale). The geological source rock, the West Lusatian granodiorite or the Zweiglimmergranodiorite, was removed by the erosion process over thousands of years. The geological subsoil is mainly covered by nutrient-rich loess loam and river gravel from the Vistula ice age. The valley has steep slopes, rock faces and crevices, the Löbau water has a near-natural stream bed with many blocks. The wooded rocky slopes on both sides of the stream rise from 210 m above sea level. NN in the valley floor up to a height of 240 m above sea level. NN and go with a moderate incline into a plateau. A large number of very different near-natural forest communities, such as pedunculate oak-hornbeam forest rich in linden trees, sessile oak-beech forest rich in hornbeam and hornwort-black alder shoreline characterize the scale. As special features of the avifauna, kingfishers, lesser woodpeckers and gray wagtails can be mentioned. Hollow Corydalis, Black Lungwort, Lily of the Valley and Greater Chickweed occur as protected plant species due to the weakly alkaline-influenced granodiorite weathering soil of the basalt mountains. Source: Wikipedia

Great gorge in a small space.

This path does not lead directly along the Kemnitzbach, but is particularly beautiful in my view due to its location on the edge of the forest. There are also a number of benches for a rest.

The breakthrough valley washed out by the slowly flowing Löbauer water is a protected area. You walk through a unique area with beautiful beech, linden and oak forests, in which plants and animals worth protecting, such as the kingfisher and swallowtail, are to be found.