German parks offer something for everyone

Be it the harsh crags of the Alps, dark forests of fir or verdant valleys full of blossoms, Germany has got something outside its big cities for every tourist’s taste.

“There is at least one national park in every climate zone of the country,” says Frank August Emde of the German Nature Protection Office in Bonn.

In many places, professional and volunteer rangers offer guided tours.

Here is a selection of Germany’s very different protected natural areas:

High altitude mountains:

On the southernmost tip of Germany is the Berchtesgaden Alpine National Park. From red deer to woodchucks to golden eagles, this park is home to most of the alpine world’s fauna. The national park administration in the Haus der Berge information centre offers guided tours led by scientists and environmentalists. Advance reservations are not necessary. (http://www.nationalpark-berchtesgaden.bayern.de/)

The Black Forest:These low wooded mountains have been a natural protection area for a long time, but were only officially declared a national park in 2014. Many people consider it to be the most romantic of Germany’s national parks with its mountainous landscape of peat bogs and fir forests. (http://www.schwarzwald-nationalpark.de/)

Coastal areas:

A pristine coastal landscape awaits vacationers at the Jasmund National Park on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen (http://www.nationalpark-jasmund.de/). The force of the tides is one of the strongest here anywhere on Germany’s coasts. Often, portions of the chalk cliffs come crashing down onto the shore.

There is an information centre at Sassnitz. Barely two hours’ drive away is the other national park on the Baltic coastline – the Pomeranian inland lake region that was put under protection in 1990. It’s a landscape of salt marshes, sand dunes and cane brakes.

Rivers:

The Lower Oder Valley in the eastern state of Brandenburg was declared a national park in 1995, covering 10,300 hectares, some of those on the Polish side of the river border. Some 120 kilometres of trails along the dike system offer cyclists a variety of tours.

Visitors can go canoeing on the river and its tributaries and with a bit of luck maybe catch a glimpse of the beavers and a grazing elk. (http://www.nationalpark-unteres-odertal.eu/)

Forests:

The oldest German national park is the Bayerische Wald (Bavarian Forest), its beech, fir and pine trees having been put under protection in 1970. Covering 24,222 hectares, it is home to some 7,300 plant and animal species, including 3,850 animals and 1,860 different kinds of mushrooms. (http://www.nationalpark-bayerischer-wald.de/)

Plains:

The Hainich National Park in the eastern state of Thueringen is a kind of steppe. In 1997 its deciduous and pine forest areas were put under state protection.

A special feature is Huetscheroda, a shelter for wildcats, where visitors can get an up-close glimpse of the forest creatures (http://www.nationalpark-hainich.de/).

Meanwhile, the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park in the west-central state of Hessen is home not only to wildcats, but also to wolves, bison, lynx and wild horses – thriving in fenced-off enclosures. (http://www.nationalpark-kellerwald-edersee.de/)

Spectacular crags:

Over thousands of years, the wind and the elements have carved bizarre rock formations into the sandstone hills along the stretch of the Elbe River in the eastern state of Saxony.

The national park Saechsische Schweiz attracts rock climbers challenged by the vertical cliffs lining the river’s shores. Those who aren’t into climbing will gladly settle for hiking the park’s 16 kilometres of trails. (http://www.nationalpark-saechsische-schweiz.de/)

Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea):

Walking on the mudflats under a big sky is an experience to be enjoyed in Germany’s three national parks in the Wadden Sea. At ebb tide, the shore area stretches out toward the North Sea for several kilometres. On the sandbanks, sea lions and seals can be seen sunning themselves.

The German Wadden Sea has been declared a World Natural Heritage site. Three states – Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Hamburg – declared their Wadden Sea areas as national parks in the 1980s and 1990s. Each of them has an information centre offering a wide-ranging programme of activities. (http://www.nationalpark-wattenmeer.de/)