Discover the nature park

Licca - the fast flowing one

The Celts gave this name to the wild river Lech.

On the Tyrolean side, this designation still fits today, because the river shapes the appearance of the valley.

Due to the near-natural watercourse of the Lech, characteristic landscape types and biotic communities of a wild river develop: The wild river is lined by stretches of river bed, gravel and rubble banks as well as wide floodplain forests of softwood meadow, grey alder meadow and dry pine meadow.

Unobstructed rivers have become a rarity
- River engineering, regulation and power plant construction have forced almost all Central European rivers into an artificial bed and destroyed wild river landscapes. Therefore, the typical habitats of the Lech wild river landscape are among the most threatened landscape types in Central Europe. They are of international importance and therefore the special conservation assets in the Tyrolean Lech Nature Park. River-dwelling animals and plants specially adapted to this habitat have become very rare. These animal and plant communities, some of which are highly endangered, make this landscape so particularly valuable.
  • The plant world

    The Tiroler Lech Nature Park is an extremely species-rich area. It is a reserve for many endangered plants!

    After the ice ages, many plant species spread out on the gravel areas along the Lech towards the Alps or the Jura. Like no other river landscape in the Northern Alps, the Lech Valley is of central importance as a migration and dispersal line (floral bridge) for the flora between the Alps and the Jura. The Lech serves as a distribution axis. The seeds of the plants are not only spread by water, but also by wind. This allows them to spread both downstream and upstream. In this way, many plants can settle. But the close interlocking with the riparian forests also contributes decisively to the species richness, as many plants find a suitable habitat as a home here.

    It is therefore not surprising that the floodplains are called the "jungles of Central Europe". No other landscape type in Central Europe is as diverse and species-rich! One third (1,116 species) of all plants native to Tyrol grow in the Tiroler Lech Nature Park. Of these, one third (392 species) are very valuable and classified as endangered and are at home on the Tyrolean Lech!

  • The animal world

    The Tyrolean Lech belongs to the Natura2000 network of protected areas and is the habitat of numerous protected animal species (according to the legal basis of the Europe-wide Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive and the Birds Directive).

    The composition of the animal species living here is as diverse as the wild river landscape. From the species found in the oxygen-rich, cold river water to the impressive gravel bank specialists and alluvial forest species, the spectrum of a wild river habitat is wide. Species that have become very rare find their last habitats along the Lech. The nature park stands for their protection and advocates their continued existence.
  • The geology

    From a distance, the stones along the Lech all look the same. Grey and more or less rounded by the Lech water. But that is deceptive!

    If you take the time to look at the Lech pebbles up close, you will see other colours on the gravel banks besides the grey ones. Green, red, pink, white ... Round or rather angular ... Every stone can tell stories about its formation.

    Gravel, stones, boulders, sand - all together they are also called bedload. And for good reason. Because the Tyrolean Lech pushes a large amount of stones down its valley with the water. If bedload transport were stopped, the Lech would deepen, gravel banks would disappear and the Tyrolean Lech would flow through the valley as a straight stream. Therefore, the Lech gravels are an important lifeline of the Lech.

    But the Lech is "rich in stone". Its side streams constantly bring it rock material from the mountains. This material is crushed and rounded on its way. The stones are deposited as gravel, taken away during floods, further crumbled and ground. New gravel keeps coming in from above, which is rolled through the Lech.

    The colourful Lech pebbles have a lot to tell! Different colours and shapes indicate their history of origin.
  • The habitats

    The special features of a wild river are its special habitats. These show a fascinating diversity, from barren to lush, from dry to wet. The play of contrasts is based on the dynamics of the wild river. A wild river landscape is constantly changing, as floods and dry seasons come and go.

    Thus, wild rivers are landscape artists, because the water regime and the bedload or sediment load (rearrangement of substrate) form the essential factors for shaping the habitats. The water of the Lech, itself an important habitat, runs through the valley like a lifeline and is fed by many side streams along its course. In the process, it shapes the banks and forms a mosaic of gravel banks, riparian forests and well waters. Nothing stands still, everything is constantly changing. Specialists of the animal and plant world are adapted to this and need the habitats of the wild rivers for their continued existence.

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Allgäu and Lechtal Alps

Geology
Children of the sea - the Allgäu and Lechtal Alps. About 240 million years ago, the present continents formed the huge primeval continent of Pangaea. Part of the sea that surrounded Pangaea was the Th...
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Allgäuschichten

Geology
Yellow-grey stones with dark spots - the Fleckenmergel (Allgäu layers). The seabed of the Tethys Sea also had deeper basins that were filled with calcareous mud. Worms have formed du...
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Alpine Knorpellattich

Plants
The alpine knotweed (Chondrilla chondrilloides) is a rather inconspicuous composite plant that grows 15 - 30 cm high. The pioneer plant community "Knorpelalatflur" is named after it. A...
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Alpine alluvial deposits

Plants
The dwarf bellflower (Campanula cochleariifolia), the white silverroot (Dryas octopetala), the alpine edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale), the alpine leekweed (Linaria alpina) or the blue-green stonebr...
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Aptych layers

Geology
Similar to the radiolarites, the aptych layers are not completely rounded because they are very hard. Their place of origin was far from the mainland in the deep sea, so they have a ...
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Riparian forests

Habitats
Extensive alluvial forest belts line the Lech, but they differ greatly. They are divided into willow-tamarisk scrub, dry floodplain forest and softwood floodplain. But one thing the different...
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Bilek's damselfly

Animals
The Bileks damselfly (Coenagrion hylas) is probably the rarest damselfly in Central Europe! It is strictly protected and is the heraldic animal of the Tyrolean Lech Nature Park! Pale blue-black g...
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Well water

Habitats
Brunnwässer are small, slow-flowing tributaries of the Lech that are fed by slope waters. They flow along the valley floor until they flow into the Lech without much difference in altitude. Fü...
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Colourful Jurassic limestones

Geology
The Bunten Jurakalke or Bunten Schwellenkalke were formed at the same time as the Allgäu strata. 190 million years ago, the coloured Jurassic limestones were formed on the higher-lying threshold...
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German Tamarisk

Plants
The German tamarisk (Myricaria germanica) is a real survival specialist on the Tyrolean Lech. It belongs to the tamarisk family and can grow up to 2 m high. With its huge root...
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Three-toed Woodpecker

Animals
The Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) is a characteristic species of subalpine spruce forests. It is about the size of a blackbird and has black and white patterned plumage and the wings...
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Fly agaric

Plants
The fly agaric (Ophrys insectifera) belongs to the orchid family and reaches a height of 15 - 40 cm. It is an astonishing plant because its two to 20 velvety reddish-brown flowers with a
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Little Ringed Plover

Animals
You have to look closely to see it! If something moves quickly and jerkily on the gravel banks of the Tyrolean Lech and repeatedly stops briefly in place, it could be the ...
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Common sandpiper

Animals
Hidididi! The call of the sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) is loud and shrill. Its habitat is the wild river. Here, where the water is constantly rushing, it has to come up with tricks to keep its...
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Riverbank wolf spider

Animals
Only when the riverbank wolf spider moves along the gravel banks of the Tyrolean Lech can it be easily recognised. With their grey-brown colouration and high-contrast markings, these spiders are ...
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Goosander

Animals
The common merganser (Mergus merganser) belongs to the duck family and is about 66 cm long. It is a specialist among fish catchers! This bird is slender and it has a long, narrow...
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Spotted Snorkel

Animals
A buzzing sound, red wings and she's gone again! If you walk through the Trockenau forests along the Tyrolean Lech in July, you may come across it. You can see the Spotted Sniv...
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Yellow lady's slipper

Plants
The flower of the yellow lady's slipper (Cypripedium calceolus) is unmistakable, a species of orchid that grows up to 70 cm high and is considered a highly endangered species in Austria and is a protected species....
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Common Juniper

Plants
The common juniper (Juniperus communis) is mainly known as the juniper bush. As a cypress species, it is found mainly on dry, rather nutrient-poor, calcareous soils. The pungent...
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Geology general information

Geology
From a distance, the stones along the Lech all look the same. Grey and more or less rounded by the Lech water. But that is deceptive! If you take the time to look at the Lech pebbles up close, you...
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Gossau layers

Geology
We are talking about the youngest rocks of the Lechtal Alps. They were formed in the Cretaceous period (90 million years ago). During the first mountain-building phase, erosion/weathering has already set in....
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Grey Woodpecker

Animals
The grey woodpecker (Picus canus) is slightly smaller than a jay and prefers to inhabit old deciduous forests. The head, neck and underside of this woodpecker are grey. The back and tail ...
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Greater two-leaf

Plants
Another orchid species found in the Tyrolean Lech Nature Park is the large two-leaved orchid (Listera ovata). It grows to a height of 20 - 50 cm. The orchid has two opposite, egg-shaped branches at the lower end of the stem.
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Main dolomite

Geology
Grey, this is the colour of the main dolomite (CaMg (CO3)2). It can be found most frequently on the gravel banks of the Tyrolean Lech. As one of the oldest rocks, the main dolomite was formed ...
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Invasive neophytes

Plants
What are invasive neophytes? What can I do? Neophytes ("new plants") are alien plant species that were introduced into a new area by humans after the discovery of America (1492).
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Great crested newt

Animals
The great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) is the largest native newt species, growing up to 14 cm (male) or 18 cm (female). The yellow-orange belly, usually with large black spots, is...
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Gravel and gravel banks

Habitats
A wide network of river branches and gravel islands ... ... this is how the Tyrolean Lech presents itself to the observer. This labyrinth of gravel and pebble banks is the characteristic image of a...
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Koppe

Animals
Bullhead - this is what the bullhead (Cottus gobio) is commonly called because of its large, thick head and wide mouth. On stony stream bottoms, this 15 cm small brownish fish is at rest....
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Kössen layers

Geology
In the Upper Triassic period, around 210 million years ago, the Kössen strata were formed from sediments in a shallow sea that was barely deeper than 50 m. The conditions were sometimes rather lukewarm. The conditions were partly rather l...
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Natterjack toad

Animals
It owes its name to the light dorsal stripe along the spine - "the cross". They can also be easily recognised by the way they move - natterjack toads (Epidalea calamita) hop...
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Tree frog

Animals
The tree frog (Hyla arborea) is an excellent climber. It climbs trees with its adhesive discs on the tips of its fingers and toes. But you have to look closely to see this little "tree frog"....
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Mosquito hellebore

Plants
The mosquito hellebore (Gymnadenia conopsea) belongs to the orchid family. Its stem is 20 - 50 cm high and leafy. The flowers are violet-red or lilac to whitish and are densely packed.
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Oberrhätkalk

Geology
The Oberrhätkalk is very difficult to find on the gravel banks of the Lech River, as it is very similar to the Wetterstein Limestone. It was formed by marine sedimentation between the Triassic and Jurassic eras....
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Orchids

Plants
The Tiroler Lech Nature Park is characterised by a particularly species-rich orchid flora. There are many different orchids to marvel at in the vast riparian forests and on mountain slopes.
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Flora

Plants
The Tiroler Lech Nature Park is an extremely species-rich area. It is a reserve for many endangered plants! After the ice ages, many plant species spread on the gravel areas along the...
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Radiolarite

Geology
Red and green stones, angular and interspersed with calcite veins - the radiolarites bring colour into play on the grey gravel banks! To get to the place where this rock was formed, you would have to ...
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Raibl layers

Geology
In the Upper Triassic, around 220 million years ago, the Raibl strata were formed in shallow seas with numerous reefs. A dry and subtropical hot climate prevailed. The input of...
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Black Woodpecker

Animals
The crow-sized Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) is the largest European woodpecker species in the Tyrolean Lech Nature Park. Its plumage is pitch black. The scarlet-red crest immediately catches the eye, ...
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Side valleys

Habitats
The side valleys of the Lech Valley owe their present appearance to the glaciers of the ice ages. The ice of the mighty Lech Glacier (origin: Würm, catchment area: northern Limestone Alps, connection wi...
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Woodpeckers general information

Animals
Woodpeckers are among the most attractive forest dwellers due to their attractive appearance. With their distinctive drum roll and their working tracks (chopping and building activity) on the trees, they are very attractive for observa...
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Spirke

Plants
The spurge (Pinus uncinata) is often referred to as an upright-growing mountain pine. Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) and spurge cannot be clearly distinguished from each other. Thus, the spurge is not always considered to be a...
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Stone crab

Animals
The stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) turns night into day. The stone crayfish, which can grow up to 8 cm long, is protected by the Tyrolean Nature Conservation Ordinance and is one of the crayfish in the Nat...
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Marsh hellebore

Plants
The 20 - 50 cm tall marsh hellebore (Epipactis palustris) loves calcareous, nitrogen-salt-poor soils. It can be found in fens and meadows, moorlands, riparian forests and dune valleys.
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Trockenauwald

Plants
A dry snow heath pine forest develops on riparian terraces. It is one of the most species-rich and colourful forest types in Central Europe. Rare orchids such as the fly agaric are found here....
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Birds

Animals
Gold for the Lech Valley - The Tiroler Lech Nature Park is an "Important Bird Area" For bird lovers, the Tiroler Lech Nature Park is one of the top addresses in Tyrol. Out of approx. 150 native...
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Birds general information

Animals
Gold for the Lech Valley - The Tyrolean Lech Nature Park is an Important Bird Area For bird lovers, the Tiroler Lech Nature Park is one of the top addresses in Tyrol. Out of approx. 150 native...
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Weichholzau

Habitats
In the lower reaches from Reutte onwards, it is mainly the softwood meadow that grows. In addition to willows, grey alder grows here. Due to the flat terrain, but also due to the construction, there are calmer river sections. At
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Willow-tamarisk scrub

Plants
In the upper reaches of the Lech, mainly coarse sand and gravel is deposited on the banks. This soil can store almost no water and although the large amounts of water from the Lech in the immediate vicinity s...
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White Forest Hyacinth

Plants
The white wood hyacinth (Platanthera bifolia) was named Orchid of the Year by the Arbeitskreisen Heimischer Orchideen (AHO) in 2011.
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Weatherstone lime

Geology
The Wetterstein limestone is a hard rock with a high lime content. It was formed under tropical conditions in the Tethys Sea around 230 million years ago. At shallower parts of the sea, ri...
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Wild River Lech

Habitats
The Tyrolean Lech is unmistakable! It is the last wild river in the northern Alpine region and, as the "last wild one", displays largely natural dynamics in its wide river bed with mighty...
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Dwarf bulrush

Plants
Its name indicates its size. With a height of 30 - 80 cm, the dwarf bulrush (Typha minima) is clearly smaller than other bulrush species. Its occurrence is an indication of an intact river...
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