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38-624: Rensch was born in Thale and as a young boy, he took an interest in observing the natural world and discovered a talent for drawing and painting. He served in the German army from 1917 to 1920 and began to observe natural phenomena while he was held prisoner in France. He returned to Germany and began his studies on feather structure under Valentin Haecker (1864–1927) who had himself studied under August Weismann . Until

76-614: A 150 m high dam at the Bodekessel . The plan was scrapped. Only a few streams enter the Bode, on the right-hand side of the ravine. The Luppbode is a lively, bubbling brook coming from the direction of Allrode which joins the Bode near Treseburg. Another tributary stream is the Dambach, which empties into the Bode from a side ravine below the Rabenstein. There is a rapid succession of habitats in

114-475: A carpet. Common toothwort ( Lathraea squamaria ) and spring snowflake ( Leucojum vernum ) also occur here and there. Perennial honesty ( Lunaria rediviva ) and large white buttercup ( Ranunculus platanifolius ) may be found in places in the woods. The Bode Gorge ist also a habitat and refuge for many types of rare animal. Such rarities include the wildcat , Bechstein's bat , peregrine falcon , black stork , middle spotted woodpecker . The insect fauna

152-429: A grey shade. The proportion of black mica ( biotite ) is low and carries no weight in terms of colouring. The light-coloured granite stands out from the dark to black coloured rocks of hornfels and argillite. As a result, the front section of the ravine and the river bed of the Bode in this area appear clearly lighter than the rear section. The argillite at the rear of the gorge shows bands of colour in places that evinces

190-595: A small hammer mill was established in 1686 out of which a new ironworks later developed that benefited especially from its proximity to the ore deposits and the availability of wood. It lasted until 1714. In 1740 a business was opened again. For a short time this ironworks was owned by the Prussian king Frederick the Great . Part of the Prussian Province of Saxony since 1815, the first wrought-iron wagon axle to be made in

228-548: A zoological expedition to the Sunda Islands . He studied the geographical distribution of subspecies of polytypic species and of complexes of closely related species with attention to how local environmental factors, especially climate, influenced their evolution. In 1929 he published the book Das Prinzip geographischer Rassenkreise und das Problem der Artbildung that discussed the relationship between geography and speciation. His work in this area would influence Ernst Mayr , who

266-777: Is also used in a wider sense to refer to the valleys of the Warme and Kalte Bode rivers that feed the River Bode. At the Bode Gorge, the River Bode , which rises on the highest mountain in the Harz, the Brocken , has cut deeply into the hard Ramberg granite rock. The ravine is about 140 m deep at Treseburg and some 280 m deep at Thale where it breaks out into the Harz Foreland . The Bode Gorge

304-435: Is characterised by fast-flowing, clean, shady stretches of river. In addition to brown trout it ish also home to loach , bullhead , three-spined stickleback and minnow . Rare visitors include pike , dace and perch . Rainbow trout have been introduced by anglers . The Bode Gorge may only be passed through on foot. A cycle path or bridleway is not feasible due to the narrowness of the ravine. Climbing and walking off

342-502: Is named in his honor. This is a select list of books alone and includes English translations. Thale Thale ( pronounced [ˈtaːlə] ) is a town in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany . Located at the steep northeastern rim of the Harz mountain range, it is known for the scenic Bode Gorge stretching above the town centre. The town is situated on

380-450: Is particularly varied. The white-throated dipper and grey wagtail can be observed hunting for insects on the stream beds. Mallard breed here and there in the reed beds or on remote gravel beds. In spring fire salamanders can be seen splashing about in the Bode Gorge during the spawning season. Care must be taken when walking not to disturb them. Where it flows through the gorge, the Bode ,

418-454: Is shrouded in legend. It was a low waterfall before its explosive demolition in 1798. Stones and boulders occupy the river bed. Slow-moving stretches of water occur, especially in the area of the Hornfels ( Zahme Bode ); rapids ( Wilde Bode ) are found particularly in the lower part of the ravine and formed by the incision of the river into the blocks of Ramberg granite . The water regime inside

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456-571: Is the larger sex. He was awarded the Linnean Society of London 's prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal in 1958. Since 2004, the Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS, Germany) has awarded the Bernhard Rensch prize for achievements of young scientists, writing in German or English, in the field of systematics and biodiversity research. A species of Indonesian lizard, Cryptoblepharus renschi ,

494-710: The Halberstadt prince-bishops . The monastery premises were stormed and devastated in 1525 during the German Peasants' War . From 1445 the records show that there had been an ironworks in Thale. It was rebuilt from 1648 onwards after the devastations of the Thirty Years' War as the Berghaus zum Wilden Mann , but was fully destroyed in 1670. After the secularised Halberstadt territories were incorporated by Brandenburg-Prussia ,

532-631: The granite rocks . Plants such as the snowy mespilus ( Amelanchier ovalis ), dyer’s greenweed ( Genista tinctoria ), browntop bent ( Agrostis capillaris ), sticky catchfly ( Lychnis viscaria ), blue stonecrop ( Sedum reflexum ) are particularly common. The scenery in spring is graced by wood anemones ( Anemone nemorosa ) and yellow anemones ( Anemone ranunculoides ), hollowroot ( Corydalis cava ), spring vetchling ( Lathyrus vernus ), kidneywort ( Hepatica nobilis ) and alternate-leaved golden saxifrage ( Chrysosplenium alternifolium ), which grows on stream banks, but also covers scree slopes like

570-400: The 10th century. It was documented in 936 in connexion with the neighbouring Wendhusen Abbey, which had been founded around 825 AD as a chapter of canonesses ( Kanonissenstift ). Established by an Eastphalian comital family and based on the model of Herford Abbey , it was one of the first monasteries in the medieval Duchy of Saxony . After Queen Dowager Matilda , wife of the late King Henry

608-546: The 1930s Rensch held anti-Darwinian and Lamarckian views. Rensch also took an interest in the philosophy of science and was fascinated by Theodor Ziehen (1862–1950). Rensch also studied expressionist painting and in later life examined the biological roots of art. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Halle in 1922. He joined the zoological museum of the University of Berlin as an assistant in 1925. In 1927 he participated in

646-426: The Bode Gorge that produces a tightly woven mosaic of vegetation, characterised by an especially rich variety of plant species. The most common trees in the woods are sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ), large-leaved lime ( Tilia platyphyllos ), sycamore ( Acer pseudoplatanus ), silver birch ( Betula pendula ) and rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ). Also worth mentioning is the common yew ( Taxus baccata ). Dominating

684-566: The Fowler , tried in vain to relocate the convent in 936, it came under the guardianship of the newly established Quedlinburg chapter. The adjacent village was first mentioned in a 1231 deed as Dat Dorp to dem Dale (from 1288 it was given the Latinised description de valle , and from 1303 as von Thale ). In the late Middle Ages, the estates were held by the Saxon Counts of Regenstein , vassals of

722-540: The German lands was manufactured here in 1831. In 1835 the oldest sheet steel enamel works in Europe was founded in Thale. Following the town's connexion to the railway network in 1862 with a line to Berlin the place flourished as did the number of workers. Whilst the iron industry had only 350 workers in 1872, by 1905 there were as many as 4,400. In particular, the production of enamel contributed to Thale's international renown; in its heyday Thale produced no less than 10% of

760-528: The River Niger. Thale is the setting of Theodor Fontane 's novel Cécile . Fontane stayed in Thale a number of times between 1868 and 1884. Bode Gorge The Bode Gorge ( German : Bodetal ) is a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long ravine that forms part of the Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, Bodetal (literally "Bode Valley"),

798-442: The former strata of the marine sediments . The stratified slate was only slightly metamorphosed . In the area of the Bode Gorge average annual temperatures range from 8 °C down to 6.5 °C and annual precipitation between 600 and 720 mm. But sharp, local differences in the ravine between, for example, the sunny, warm and dry southern slopes and the more shaded, cooler and damper northern slopes and valley floor, modify

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836-522: The gorge. In the area of the ravine the Bode has a width of 7 to 25 metres and descends 100 metres in 17 kilometres. Its river course and bed are very much in their natural state inside the ravine. Kettle-holes, rapids and scouring in the rock alternate with islands of gravel and flat river banks. The most notable rapids on the Bode, the Bodekessel , not far southwest of the Königsruhe tavern,

874-507: The ground cover are plants like the wood bluegrass ( Poa nemoralis ), wavy hair-grass ( Avenella flexuosa ; especially in dry oak woods), white wood-rush ( Luzula luzuloides ), male fern ( Dryopteris filix-mas ), limestone oak fern ( Gymnocarpium robertianum ), wall hawkweed ( Hieracium murorum ), baneberry ( Actaea spicata ), small balsam ( Impatiens parviflora ), Herb Robert ( Geranium robertianum ), dog's mercury ( Mercurialis perennis ). A special plant community has grown on

912-401: The local climate considerably. The most common soil types are silicate leptosols , that belong to the thin stony soils around areas of rock and scree. In flatter areas with less rearrangement of the soil particles are stony Ranker leptosols of various thickness. One particular soil type, brown Ranker occurs above argillite rock. Podsolised brown earth soils are found around the edges of

950-617: The modern synthesis. That same year he became chairman of the zoology department and director of the zoological institute at the University of Münster. In 1953 he would take part in a zoological expedition to India. Later in his career he would work extensively in the areas of animal behavior ( ethology ), learning, and memory. Rensch also wrote on human behaviour and he suggested that the human evolutionary connection with organisms would lead to sympathy. He published an autobiography in 1979 and remained scientifically active until his death in 1990. Rensche sought out universal patterns in biology . He

988-671: The official result of the elections for the Thale town council on 7 June 2009; Voter participation: 42.88%, Changes from the previous election in brackets) The coat of arms was approved on 11 July 1996 by the Magdeburg Regional Council ( Regierungspräsidium ). Since 1990 Thale has had a town partnership with Seesen ( Lower Saxony ) on the northwest edge of the Harz and, since 1998, with the French town of Juvisy-sur-Orge , 18 km from Paris, as well as Tillabéri in Niger , northwest of

1026-422: The path, mountain biking, canyoning, water walking and whitewater canoeing or rafting are banned in order to protect the wildlife and biotope . Tourist facilities, restaurants and overnight accommodation are located at Thale by the entrance to the Bode Gorge. A ten kilometre long footpath runs through the Bode Gorge between Thale and Treseburg. At pinch points the path is routed in steep zigzags and walkways over

1064-400: The place, including Heinrich Heine ( Die Harzreise ) and Theodor Fontane and especially the Bode Gorge. In addition tourists from Berlin enjoyed the summer resort of Thale. This encouraged the connexion of Thale in 1862 to the railway line from Wegeleben . In 1909 a branch line from Blankenburg (Harz) followed. In 1922 the resort was given town rights . From 12 to 14 June 2009 Thale was

1102-521: The ravine is affected, however, by the dams owned by the Bodewerk in the upper reaches of the river. The discharge can vary sharply: during the devastating New Year floods of 1925 a discharge of 350 m /s was recorded; in the summer of 1926 the Bode almost ran dry (0.,35 m /s). Other major floods occurred in 1667, 1730 and in April 1984. There was a plan to impound the Bode in the ravine as well in 1891 with

1140-491: The ravine of the Bode also cuts through hornfels and knotenschiefer (a type of slate ), as well as argillite and graywacke with quartz elements and diabase dikes from the Devonian Period, 400 to 370 million years ago. Ramberg granite predominantly forms the front section of the ravine and characterises its highest rocks. It appears light-coloured due to the high proportion of white feldspar . The quartz lends it

1178-525: The river Bode , approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Quedlinburg . Served by Transdev Sachsen-Anhalt trains, Thale Hauptbahnhof is the terminus of the Magdeburg–Thale railway line. The town has access to the Bundesstraße 6n highway. The town Thale consists of Thale proper and the following Ortschaften or municipal divisions: The settlement of Thale probably emerged at the beginning of

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1216-538: The rocks. From them there are superb views into the ravine. Paths lead down into the gorge from the observation rocks at Rosstrappe and the Hexentanzplatz ("Witches' Dance Floor"). From the latter there is also a ridgeway to Treseburg. The Bode Gorge receives hundreds of thousands of visitors per year and is one of the leading tourist destinations in Saxony-Anhalt. The following places of interest are listed in

1254-402: The title Evolution above the species level . The book discussed how the evolutionary mechanisms that drove speciation could also explain the differences between higher taxa . He introduced the concept of Artenkreis (which Mayr translated as a "superspecies" and defined as "a monophyletic group of closely related and largely or entirely allopatric species”). It was considered a major document in

1292-557: The venue for the Saxony-Anhalt Day held under the motto Thale sagenhaft ("Legendary Thale"), and attracted around 200,000 visitors. Warnstedt was incorporated in 2003. In 2009 a total of seven municipalities were incorporated on four separate dates. Westerhausen was added in 2010. Allrode became a part of the town of Thale in 2011. The changes in area are shown in a separate table. The growth of population (from 1995 censuses were taken every 31 December) : (according to

1330-552: The world's production. In 1910 Karl Liebknecht , Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin spoke to Thale's workers. From 1916 steel helmets were produced in Thale. In the World War II Thale had the monopoly on this product (from 1934). Tourism blossomed from the 19th century onwards in connexion with the radon rich water of the Hubertus Spring , which had been opened up in 1836. As a result, various literary figures visited

1368-546: Was also an assistant at the museum from 1927 to 1930, and would contribute to the development of the modern evolutionary synthesis . In 1937 he was forced to leave the museum because he refused to join the Nazi party, and took a position at a zoological garden in Münster . In 1940 he was recalled for military service, but was discharged for medical reasons in 1942. In 1947 he published a book that would later be translated into English under

1406-483: Was designated a nature reserve as early as 5 March 1937; its boundaries being subsequently expanded. With an area of, currently 473.78 hectares (1,170.7 acres), it is one of the largest nature reserves in Saxony-Anhalt . Apart from intrusions of Ramberg granite, which rose to the surface and solidified 300 million years ago in the Upper Carboniferous Period, and their associated veins of quartz ,

1444-403: Was responsible for naming Allen's Rule and Gloger's Rule , and proposed what is now called Rensch's rule in 1950. It is an allometric law about the relationship between sexual size dimorphism and which sex is larger. It observes that across species size dimorphism increases with increasing body size when the male is the larger sex, and decreases with increasing average body size when the female

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