Tannermoor

The Tannermoor is the highest raised forest bog in Austria.

The moor was formed after the last ice age around 12,000 years ago. It lies at an altitude of over 930 metres above sea level and entirely in the area of Weinsberg granite, which is interspersed with fine-grained gangue granite in some places. This forms the water-impermeable depressions in which this moor could form up to a thickness of 10 metres.

The wealth of rare plants and animals is the most precious treasure of the Tannermoor. In addition to roe deer, we can also encounter foxes, badgers, pine martens, weasels, black grouse, bog owls, long-eared owls, wild ducks, goshawks and sparrow hawks.

The area of the Tannermoor has never been deforested, nor has peat ever been cut in it. The only human intervention in this area is the Rubner Teich pond on the southern edge of the moor, which used to supply the water needed for the annual wood flooding.
The Rubner pond is fed by the Tannerbach stream, which flows out of the raised bog - hence the dark brown colour of the popular natural bog bathing pond. Fishing is also possible in the Rubner pond.

The main component of a bog is the peat moss, which can store up to twenty times its volume in water. In a raised bog, the peat layer has piled up to such an extent that the living mosses on the surface have lost their permanent connection to the water table - they rely solely on the water and minerals from the rain. Previous and unsuccessful attempts to drain the Tannermoor have resulted in a forest of pine trees growing on its surface, but due to the extreme site conditions, these only grow in a semi-upright and shrub-like manner. Where this forest thins out in between, other typical plants of a raised bog grow, such as bilberry, cranberry, rosemary heather or the scabious cotton grass. Various hiking trails lead through the Tannermoor, allowing visitors to experience this unique habitat for plants and animals.