Schwarzbachtal - Schwarzbach Valley East of Kirchhundem-Heinsberg

The main watercourse of the reserve, the Schwarzenbach stream, is a reference water for the good ecological quality of all source streams of the River Weser catchment area. Thanks to land purchases and targeted management measures carried out by the District Authority of Olpe, the Schwarzbachtal has evolved since the mid-1980s from a dark valley covered with spruce plantations into a colourful mosaic of rare forest and open-land habitats. These include Sphagnum-Alder swamp forests, mountain-slope spring moors and species-rich wet meadows.

One of the most important components of the nature reserve is the "Rüsper Forest", a 61.4-hectare pocket of natural forest, with its 100-year-old stands of Downy Birch and Black Alder, as well as more than 200-year-old Beech trees. One of the characteristic species of the nature reserve is the Monkshood, a blue aconite whose blooms are mainly to be seen along the lower reaches of the Schwarzbach stream in July and August. In May the numerous white fruit tufts of Hare's-tail Cottongrass shine in the mosaic of Purple Moorgrass meadows and sedge moors which cover the floor of the valley floodplain. The clear stream waters hold Brown Trout, Brook Lampreys and Bullheads. In the vicinity of the destroyed railway bridge you have a good chance of seeing a Dipper or a Kingfisher.