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Waiting for spring

The valley of the river Polenz is more than just a picturesque river valley; on more than 130000 m2 it has one of the largest occurrences of wild spring snowflakes (Leucojum vernum). First noted in 1821 the natural spectacle had become a tourist attraction around 1900. Between 1990 and 1993 the Landesverein Sächischer Heimatschutz (Saxon Society for Homeland Preservation) bought up almost all snowflake meadows and takes care of their preservation and maintainance. Once a year after the seeds have ripened the meadows are mowed using a traditional, not too heavy machine. Snowflakes need moist soil, therefore efforts are made to reinstall the traditional moats used by earlier farmers.
If you do not want to miss the blooming period check the online snowflower diary run by the city council of Stolpen.