Thenaur bar

Summary
Close to Breitenbrunn on the west-facing slope of the Leithagebirge there is one of Burgenland’s largest and most important dry grassland areas: the Thenau-Riegel. The substrate of the grassland is built on weathered and Crumbly Sandstone which is heavily karstified. Above there is a small layer of topsoil. At some locations the Sandstone reaches up to the surface. In former times the area was covered by oak-forests. With the beginning of grazing the landscape of the Thenau-Riegel and beyond was formed into a specious-rich dry grassland. The end of grazing management caused an overgrowing of the area. Today about 50 cows act as landscape designers in some parts of the Thenau-Riegel.