Easy hikes and walks in Nsg Zarth

A magical piece of earth.

relatively young church with a beautifully designed half-timbered tower.

Very worth seeing, you have to see it

you should definitely make a detour, next door is a nice playground and seating

The FFH area "Zarth" (Sorbian: devil's forest) is one of the last remnants of natural, rich mixed deciduous forests in the Baruth glacial valley. Extensive source horizons are characteristic, which cause a high proportion of permanently wet areas. The wettest areas are occupied by alder-ash forests. On slight hills there are English oak and hornbeam forests with old trees shaped by the historical use of the Hutewald. In addition, different forms of vegetation in the wet meadows characterize the area. The cabbage thistle meadow dominates and valuable small sedge lawns and moor grass meadows are present. The mosaic of diverse habitats in the Zarth is also home to a corresponding wealth of species in the animal world. The occurrence of 92 breeding bird species, including 5 woodpecker species, with the middle woodpecker as a "jungle species" is remarkable. The crane breeds undisturbed in the inaccessible alder swamps and the kingfisher finds sufficient food in the clear water of the streams. The beaver has also settled here a few years ago and, as animal hydraulic engineers, supports efforts to protect the moor. Source https://brandenburg.nabu.de/natur-und-landschaft/nabu-aktivitaeten/erlebnisartenvielfalt/archiv/32286.html

The NSG Zarth has a completely different character than the Nuthe-Nieplitz lowlands and the Pfefferfliess: an almost jungle-like, damp and dense forest area that is reminiscent of the Spreewald with its largely inaccessible swamp forest. The swampy area, whose name comes from the Slavic "tschert" or "tschort" = devil and could mean devil's forest, lies east of Treuenbrietzen directly below the headwaters of the northern Fläminghanges in the Baruth glacial valley. Several streams originate in the NSG and form ponds and small lakes. At the wettest spots there are the black alders and ash trees that are typical of the biotope, and at slightly higher altitudes a pedunculate oak and hornbeam forest. Around 340 plant species were counted, including five different types of orchids alone. The European pond turtle finds the necessary clear streams and the very rare black stork the preferred hiding places in the dense forest. The specially protected NSG Zarth can and may only be crossed on a path that connects Treuenbrietzen with the south-eastern village of Bardenitz. Source https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturpark_Nuthe-Nieplitz#NSG_Zarth

I can only recommend the NSG Zarth, especially when most dragonflies are flying. There is no bench or seat along the way. But many beautiful motives.

In the year 1268, the place appears for the first time in a document, even in today's spelling. Then Richard von Zerbst sold Bardenitz to the monks of the Zinna monastery. It then remained in their possession until secularization in the 16th century. In the immediate vicinity of the village there is a Slavic ring wall. There are indications that the pastorate may have existed as early as the second half of the 12th century and was responsible for both a German and a later deserted Slavic settlement. Several special features immediately catch the eye of the Bardenitz church. On the one hand it is one of the rural brick buildings from the Middle Ages, which is quite rare in Brandenburg. This connects it with the church in the immediate vicinity of Pechüle. There, too, the nave, chancel and semi-circular apse were built of brick. Field stone masonry was only used for the tower. This fact can be explained by the close proximity to the monastery of Zinna, where the transition from field stone to brick as a building material took place around the middle of the 13th century. Apart from the fact that both villages became property of the monastery, they may have benefited from the brick production there. Another striking feature is the unusual floor plan. The choir appears shifted to the north and is also higher than the nave. Numerous details point to a relatively complicated building history of the Bardenitz village church. The nave, chancel and perhaps also, as in Pechüle, a semicircular apse were built in the 13th century. It remains unclear whether this happened before the change of ownership to the Zinnaer Cistercians. The rectangular western tower was built later, as a clear construction seam shows, but it must have been planned beforehand. This is indicated by waiting stones at the west end of the ship. There may have been an addition to the south side of the chancel as early as the 14th or 15th century. The tower roof dates back to 1664. It is unclear whether damage from the Thirty Years' War was repaired here or whether today's belfry dates from that time. Source: http://www.askanier-welten.de/dorfkirchen/bardenitz/