Photo: Josef Limberger

Fischlhamerau

Fischlham, Upper Austria

South of Wels, not far from the mouth of the Alm, stretches one of the last near-natural riparian forests of the Lower Traun. In the Fischlhamer Au, a system of ponds and pools, supplied by the high groundwater level, has been preserved like a relic of past times.Those who hike through the Fischlhamer Au will discover a widely branched riparian system at the edge of a river, as it used to be widespread. The riparian forest is now a rare ecosystem, which stands out especially for its enormous richness of amphibians – newts, salamanders, frogs, and toads. They find a rare natural habitat in the old water ditches, puddles, and ponds. A popular destination for day-trippers and hikers is the so-called "Entenstein" (Duck Stone), an overgrown conglomerate rock that probably broke off and fell from the slope area bordering the Fischlhamer Au a long time ago.