!!!Seewinkel

Seewinkel Area (Seewinkel, literally: Lake Corner), Burgenland, flat 
landscape south of Podersdorf and east of  Lake Neusiedl. Forms the 
southern part of the district Neusiedl am See, borders Hungary in the 
east and south and merges into the  Waasen (Hanság) region in 
the south. - Pre-historic finds, site of graves from the urnfield 
culture near Illmitz; between the 13%%sup th/%  and 18%%sup th/%  
centuries scene of many battles and wars (with Hungarians, Turks and 
Kuruc rebels), leaving behind a devastated country. With its swamps 
and approximately 40  Lacken (the number of these small lakes or pools 
probably decreased by half during the last half of the 20th century), 
the westernmost salt steppe of Europe. The Seewinkel is 
Austria´s lowest-lying landscape (average altitude 117 m) 
and has one of the lowest levels of precipitation (average amount per 
year below 600 mm). The Seewinkel belongs to the  Pannonian Climatic 
Zone, its fauna and flora are very diverse and unique in Austria. The 
most important of these are the  Halophytes and the numerous bird 
species (over 250): grey herons, spoonbills, white storks, marsh 
harrier, grey goose, sea eagle, great bustard, various rare wading 
birds and reed songbirds; also, insects able to live in saline 
environment, and brine shrimps. The main nature protection areas of 
Seewinkel are the southern part of Lake Neusiedl and the areas 
immediately in front of the shoreline as well as the reed-belt, the 
Lacken and the pastures and meadows which lie between these pools or 
are adjacent to them; they also include the area around Lake Illmitzer 
Zicksee (Zicklacke), Lake Oberer Stinkersee and Lake Unterer 
Stinkersee and lies between the reed belt, which is quite narrow in 
this area, and that part of the Seewinkel which is intensively used 
for agriculture. Lake Illmitzer Zicksee (Zicklacke) is considered an 
ideal breeding area for birds. The nature conservation area around 
Lake Neusiedl is Austria´s largest conservation area under the 
Ramsar Convention and was the first area in Austria to be protected 
under this convention. The Seewinkel and the nature reserves of Lake 
Neusiedl (including the Hungarian part) were declared a cross-border 
"Lake Neusiedl National Park" in 1993. During summer most of 
the Lacken turn into salt swamps or desert-like plains covered with a 
salt crust. In former times the grass steppes of the Seewinkel Area 
provided the conditions for large-scale livestock breeding (in 
particular cattle and horses), today the former Lacken lands and 
pastures are mainly used for agricultural (wine-growing) and tourist 
purposes. Agriculture and tourism are usually carried out on a small 
scale, with tourist facilities normally being offered as bed and 
breakfast accommodation on small farms. Formerly, typical 
characteristics of the Seewinkel were draw-wells, thatched houses, 
Baroque-like scrolled gables, reed barns and Tschardaken buildings for 
storing and drying maize. Towns and villages of the Seewinkel Area:  
Frauenkirchen,  Andau,  Tadten,  Wallern im Burgenland,  Pamhagen,  
Apetlon,  Illmitz.


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