Its nature conservation value has been known for a long time and so it was declared a nature reserve in 1970, and in 2006 it was declared a Natura 2000 Europe reserve. Located between Weiz / St. Ruprecht an der Raab and the Almenland Nature Park in the heart of Eastern Styria, the gorge extends over a length of 17 kilometers.
Their aesthetic value as a varied hiking paradise is just as important as the wealth of different habitats. The Natura 2000 Europe protected area enables numerous endangered animal and plant species to develop in their natural environment. The Raab cuts through the limestone area between Schöckl and Sattelberg and flows largely in its natural state through the gorge. On the steep slopes there are natural beech and maple-ash forests. Already in spring the woodruff stretches up his delicate white flowers in the still sparse forest. A little later, the initially pink-flowered blotched lungwort, which increasingly turns its flower color towards blue, creates a colorful picture in the damp, cool deciduous forest. Numerous tall perennials thrive on the gravel islands directly in the river bed of the Raab. Here, for example, the more than 1.5 meters high, dark pink to white-flowered white night viola blooms. It is one of the rarer species in Styria. But horse mint and bitter foam cabbage also feel at home here. From the animal world, birds find their habitat here, which need old trees, some of which have already died. Black stork, pygmy owl and eagle owl nest here. The numerous caves in the gorge are important winter quarters for the small and large mouse-eared mouse and the pug bat. From the insect world, the largest dragonfly species in Austria deserves a mention: the striped spring damsel.
For runners and cyclists, the "Kleine" Raabklamm offers a great local recreation area, whereas demanding hikers will get their money's worth in the "Big" Raabklamm over a length of around 10 kilometers over footbridges and past bizarre rock formations. Numerous branch hiking trails enable the route to be shortened. Please note when you are out with your dog that it should be kept on a leash.
The Raab Gorge - Natura 2000
- Size: 555.1 ha
- Communities in the Natura 2000 area: Mortantsch, Gutenberg-Stenzengreith, Naas, Passail
The Raab is probably the most heavily built-up river in Austria. Over 20 barrages or bed sills and a bed designed with stone throws, with a river course shortening from approx. 40 to now 95 kilometers of the Styrian river, were built between the 50s and 80s. Only 14% of the Austrian Raab tiles are free and close to nature. This includes part of the Raab in the Weiz district, where it squeezes through between Schöcklkalken (approx. 350 million years old) and crystalline primeval mountain parts and forms the Raab Gorge. Bats find excellent winter quarters in the numerous karst caves of the Raabklamm.