| The royal Bavarian general inspector von Hazzi (1798) describes the condition of the moorland before the cultivation like this:
"The residual land is covered commonly with open pasture on immense bogs, being greatly present between the inhabitations, revealing a horrid sight of mountain pine covered
growth, rendering a rather conspicuous landscape." |
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By digging ditches in the beginning of 1800, people started draining and
diminishing the peat moorland. Originally the extracted peat was used for the
Rosenheim Salt evaporation ponds ("Rosenheimer Saline") and later for beer
brewers in which it was transported over the Munich - Salzburg railway line. The
peat won by hand by the farmers only had a subordinate significance. After
ending the heavier peat mining by plow in 2005 in Kollerfilzen, only smaller and
more ecological harvests remained in the moorland "Abgebrannte Filze", where
peat was yielded for health bathes. This peat was transported out of the
moorland with the last active field train of Bavaria. |
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Great parts of the exploited peatland was planted during the last century by spruce trees which are not adapted for this kind of peat soil. Within the rewetting measures of this project these trees have to be felled in order to avoid the spreading of bark beetles (Scolytidae) on weakened trees. |
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In the peat lowlands of the "Auer Weidmoos" and in the "Kaltenaue" the original wetland forests were
cleared during the medieval. Afterwards the meadows were commonly used by the farmers as pastures. |
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Just about the last 150 years, former pastures were used by cutting the grass for winning stall litter. This way valuable ecological landscape, rich on rare species of life, was recovered. |
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| "Aufgekastelte" meaning "stacked up" to dry... the shoveled out pieces of peat used to make up the landscape here. People used to cover their own fuel needs with the won peat or even just sold it to beer brewers to make some extra money. This very tedious usage of fossile fuel is hardly found nowadays. (Photo: R. Timm) |
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| The last active mining train of Bavaria is still running in Bad Feilnbach. It transports peat for moor bathes in the regional health-cure clinics. The mining of peat used for health-treatment bathes has been strongly reduced. New plans for future renaturation are being made for the ecological removal of dried fallen peat chunks. (Photo: R. Fueglein) |
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| With the beginning of the industrial peat usage, many men found work. (Photo: Heimatmuseum Kolbermoor) |
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