Naturschutzgebiet Rannatal

Welcome to the Rannatal nature reserve.

The Ranna Valley is a stretch of pristine wilderness with forested boulder fields, where mosses and lichens thrive on the barren soil. In addition to the deciduous block forest (composed of elms, ash trees, etc.), the spruce block forest exerts a particularly irresistible charm—especially in the spring, when the foliage of the blueberry bushes glows a bright green, and in the fall, when it turns a rusty brown.

The boulder streams, which wind down the valley slopes in some places, represent a particularly unique natural phenomenon. These gneiss boulders, piled one on top of the other, are colonized by pioneer vegetation consisting of mosses and lichens. The bright yellow color of the rocks comes from a water-shy lichen species, the sulfur lichen (Chrysothrix chlorina). They are called “block streams” because these rock slides are still in motion and shift a few centimeters each year.

No wonder—this natural gem, with its near-natural forests and rocky habitats, is an important refuge for a large number of rare and endangered species, such as the green lizard, which finds its last remaining habitat in Upper Austria outside the Danube Valley here!

Less well-known animal and plant species are also found here, and the valley is a site of outstanding importance for lichen flora across Europe. The Ranna Valley is characterized by numerous boulder fields with meter-thick silicate rocks. The spaces between these rocks maintain consistently low temperatures, allowing certain insect species to survive here since the Ice Age. Where the cold air escapes, bogs have formed.

The Ranna Valley nearly fell victim to the construction of a power plant, but was fortunately designated a nature reserve in 2002. In 2004, it was also designated a Natura 2000 site.