Felsenmeer Hemer – Chaos of rocks on the outskirts of Hemer

In the Devonian period a coral reef was created in tropical waters at today's eastern fringe of Hemer. Later it developed into a ridge of compact limestone extending from Wuppertal via Hagen and Hemer as far as Balve. Since as long ago as the ninth century, iron ore was mined in the area of today's Felsenmeer Nature Reserve. Today the chaos of rocks is largely covered by Sweet Woodruff-Beech forest, a valuable habitat for Wood Warblers, Grey-headed and Green Woodpeckers, Slow Worms, Noctule and Daubenton's bats and many other bird and animal species. Due to the lime-rich soil, plants like the Wood Sanicle, Bird's-nest Orchid and Arum are relatively frequent. These species are however, unknown or extremely rare on the acidic soils which prevail elsewhere in South Westphalia.