After the operation was halted in the late 1990s in the last of several sand and gravel excavations in Linpachtal west of Heilbronn, and the Engelfinger stone for sand and gravel, it was not filled in like the others, and the area was later used for other purposes. Instead, the pit is preserved to this day and has become a vital area for many very rare plant and animal species. In addition, the historical land deposits open here are a unique geography.
The former mining area was set in the former sand and gravel pit in Engelfinger and the immediate vicinity in 2008 as a natural reserve for the Frankenbacher gravel. The natural reserve covers 14.4 hectares, of which 4.7 hectares are in the city of Heilbronn. The preventive purpose is to protect and maintain a combination of Lösssteilwänden, static water, open gravel areas, Ruderalflächen, wood plants, meadows and fields characterized by the landscape section in addition to the uncontested digestion of sand Frankenbacher and Lössdeckschichten.
The nature reserve is located on the border of the city of Heilbronn, partly in the Haylbrun district.
