List of nature parks in Germany

Location of the nature parks in Germany

The list of nature parks in Germany contains the 106 nature parks in Germany , which are set up in accordance with Section 27 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG).

The total parking area corresponds to 27 percent of the total area in Germany. The parks are grouped together in the Association of German Nature Parks (VDN). Nature parks that extend into neighboring countries are managed by EUROPARC . The oldest German nature park is the Lüneburger Heide nature park , which was founded as a "nature reserve" in 1921, but was only expanded in 2007 to today's more than four times as large area. The largest nature park in Germany is the Southern Black Forest Nature Park with 3940 square kilometers and the smallest is the Siebengebirge Nature Park with an area of 112 square kilometers. For each nature park, the federal state in which it is located, the date of establishment and the area is given, and the characteristic features are also briefly described.

The 16 German national parks , which are defined in accordance with Section 24 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, are not dealt with here. See national parks in Germany .

Current nature parks

Remarks:

Country: Flag and abbreviation of the federal state (according to ISO 3166-2: DE ) or the neighboring state (see: ISO 3166-1 coding list ) in which the nature park is located.
Year: The year in which the nature park was established.
Area: information in km² ; in the case of transnational nature parks, the area is specified that is within Germany.

Surname	country	year	surface	description
Altmuehltal	BY BY	1969	2962	The nature park is characterized by gently undulating plateaus and steep-sided valleys with rugged cliffs of the southern Franconian Jura. The Altmühl flows through an impressive valley landscape from west to east in the approximately half-wooded nature park.
At the Szczecin Lagoon	MV MV	2005	553	The nature park stretches from the lagoon coast to the Brohmer mountains in the south, characterized by a flat and hilly terminal moraine landscape , the lagoon coast, and includes wide, closed forest complexes of the Ueckermünder Heide .
Ammergau Alps	BY BY	2017	227	The park covers the upper Ammertal, the north-eastern part of the bunting mountains , the Laber-Aufacker solid and largely jungmoränenüberdeckte Faltenmolasse. Formative landscapes are culturally and historically valuable Wiesmahd slopes, mountain forests, the Ammer as one of the last near-natural alpine rivers and bogs shaped by the Ice Age.
Arnsberg Forest	NW NW	1961	482	The nature park includes the Arnsberg Forest in the west and the Warstein Forest in the east. It is a wooded low mountain range with several ridges . It is limited by the Möhne in the north and the deeply cut Ruhr in the south.
Augsburg - Western forests	BY BY	1988	1225	The nature park is bordered by the Danube , Wertach , Schmutter and Mindel and extends to the edge of the Unterallgäu . The gentle, hilly landscape, broken up by streams, has been piled up by Alpine glaciers from the Ice Age and almost half of it is forested.
Aukrug	SH SH	1970	384	The nature park comprises a flat and loamy ground moraine landscape and a much more indented, hilly area, the Aukrug. The landscape, through which the sturgeon flows in the south , is shaped by moraines , heather , forest and a multitude of ponds .
Barnim	BB BB BE BE	1999	749	The nature park includes the Barnim plateau formed during the Ice Age . It lies between the glacial valleys of Eberswalde in the north and Berlin in the south and more than half of it is forested. The region is characterized by many individual lakes and former meltwater channels.
Bavarian Rhön	BY BY	1967	1245	The nature park covers areas of the Rhön and lies between several low mountain ranges . In the south it extends as far as the Franconian Saale , but with the tree-free Langen Rhön it also has a share in the core area of the Hohe Rhön. The gently undulating surface is partially broken through by mountain peaks made of basalt chimneys.
Bavarian Spessart	BY BY	1963	1710	The nature park is formed by a red sandstone slab sloping to the southeast . It comprises the largest contiguous mixed deciduous forest area in Germany and is characterized by deep valleys, gentle slopes and heights.
Bavarian forest	BY BY	1967	2780	The nature park lies between the Danube and the high altitude of the Bavarian Forest . The half-wooded nature park encompasses the ridges of the mountains as well as the south-western slope, is criss-crossed by deep valleys and borders the Bavarian Forest National Park .
Bergisches Land	NW NW	1973	2115	The nature park comprises the northern part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains and the northern Siegerland and is a typical wooded low mountain range. It rises gradually from west to east and has partly densely populated valleys.
Bergstrasse-Odenwald	HE HE BY BW BY BW	1960	3500	The geo-nature park encompasses the wooded low mountain range of the Odenwald and extends in the east to the main valley . It is bounded by the rivers Rhine , Main and Neckar . The region has rock seas made of mighty granite blocks and bizarre rock formations.
Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen	NI NI NL Netherlands	2006	140	The International Nature Park includes the Bourtanger Moor, the largest contiguous raised bog in Europe. It offers a colorful landscape and is characterized by heather areas , agriculture, water areas and peat extraction.
Dahme-Heideseen	BB BB	1998	594	The nature park is shaped by the lake landscape of the Dahme and numerous rivers. The region is criss-crossed by valley sand plains, moors, distinctive terminal moraine elevations and inland dunes formed in many places by the wind .
Diemelsee	HE HE NW NW	1965	334	The nature park is part of the Rothaargebirge and is characterized by large closed forest areas. In the southeast and east it borders on the Waldeck Plain, in the north and northwest on the Paderborn plateau and the Arnsberg Forest .
Drömling	ST ST	1990	278	The nature park is a lowland that used to contain mainly wetlands . Today's landscape is shaped by the drainage and cultivation measures in the 18th century and includes extensive grassland areas and eyrie forests as well as a close-meshed ditch system.
Düben Heath	SN SN ST ST	1992	788	The nature park covers large parts of the Düben Heath and about two thirds of it is forested. The landscape is characterized by a varied hilly heathland that was formed during the Saale Ice Age . It lies between the floodplains of the Elbe and Mulde .
dumber	NI NI NW NW	1972	1123	The nature park includes the Dammer Berge , the Dümmer , the Stemweder Berg and numerous moor areas. The region's mountain ranges are criss-crossed by shallow depressions that were formed by glaciers from the Saale Ice Age and upset moraines .
Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal	TH TH	2012	870	The nature park is characterized by the Hainich hills and the Eichsfeld plateaus . The Werra has cut deeply into the area in the southwest and shapes the landscape.
Elbhöhen-Wendland	NI NI	1968	1160	The nature park originally contained two very different large landscapes, the wooded Drawehn ridge and the Elbe valley (the latter is now left out). It is characterized by a varied relief with a strong slope formation and diverse subdivision in the Drawehn and by extensive lowlands in the outer Elbe glacial valley .
Elm-Lappwald	NI NI	1976	470	The nature park comprises the wooded ridges of Lappwald , Dorm and Elm north of the Harz Mountains , as well as the Helmstedter Mulde area in the east. It is characterized by rolling hills. The shell limestone layers of the mountain ridges are rich in fossils .
Ore Mountains / Vogtland	SN SN	1990	1495	With the Ore Mountains and the Vogtland, the nature park comprises a varied low mountain range. The wooded region is characterized by an undulating plateau in the Vogtland, which rises gently to the south. The Ore Mountains are criss-crossed by deeply sunk valleys.
Feldberg lake landscape	MV MV	1997	347	The nature park is about 38 percent forested and characterized by hills, valleys and sandy plains. The western part of the region formed in the Ice Age with ground moraine , terminal moraine , sand and glacial valley , belongs to the Müritz National Park .
Fichtel Mountains	BY BY	1971	1028	The nature park comprises the wooded highlands of the Fichtelgebirge and the adjacent, agriculturally used plateau . It is bordered by the Thuringian Forest , Franconian Forest , Upper Palatinate Forest and the Ore Mountains . The region is characterized by extensive rocky seas and rock castles like the Luisenburg .
Flaming	ST ST	2005	824	The nature park covers the region between the Elbe meadows and the neighboring Hoher Fläming nature park to the north . The gentle hills of southern Fläming gradually descend here towards Lutherstadt Wittenberg .
River landscape Peene Valley	MV MV	2011	334	The nature park encompasses the original river landscape of the Peene Valley between Kummerower See and Peenestrom. The landscape is shaped by the largest fen area in Central Europe.
Swiss franc amount	BY BY	1974	1105	The nature park is part of the southwest German layered landscape and descends with a steep drop to the west and east to the Hohenloher level and the Tauberland . The transition to the southeast to the Central Franconian Basin is gentler.
Franconian Forest	BY BY	1971	1023	The nature park borders directly on the nature parks Thuringian Forest and Thuringian Slate Mountains-Obere Saale . It consists of an undulating plateau, is surmounted by individual mountain peaks, and more than half of it consists of forest.
Franconian Switzerland-Franconian Jura	BY BY	1968	2346	The nature park was called the Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park until June 2018 . It includes varied valleys and plateaus of the Franconian Alb , some with bizarre rocky areas. In addition, numerous caves formed through leaching . Franconian Switzerland is in the central area .
Frau-Holle-Land - Werra Valley, Meissner, Kaufunger Forest	HE HE	1962	1139	The Geo-Nature Park was called the Meissner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park until January 2017 . It includes areas of the Kaufunger Forest , the Söhre , the Hohe Meißner , the Hessian Switzerland and the Ringgau . It is characterized by a varied low mountain range, which borders the Münden Nature Park in the northwest and the Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal Nature Park in the east , and is located between Werra and Fulda .
Habichtswald	HE HE	1962	474	The nature park includes the actual Habichtswald , a wooded low mountain range, which is a northern part of the West Hessian mountains . The mountain landscape slopes down into the Edertal in the south and southwest .
Harz (Lower Saxony)	NI NI	1960	790	The nature park includes the Lower Saxon parts of the Harz low mountain range without the Harz National Park , which belongs to the Hochharz and Upper Harz Mountains . The wooded mountains are characterized by short, steep valleys, which are replaced by ridges and individual mountains .
Harz / Saxony-Anhalt	ST ST	2003	1660	The nature park encompasses the Saxon-Anhalt parts of the Harz low mountain range , including those of the high Harz mountains , which are part of the Harz National Park . The wooded mountains are characterized by short, steep valleys, which are replaced by ridges and individual mountains .
Harz / Saxony-Anhalt (Mansfelder Land)	ST ST	2012	256	The fourth nature park of the Harz low mountain range includes the region from Molmerswende to Hettstedt and from Welbsleben to Gorenzen . It belongs to the Harz - Braunschweiger Land - Ostfalen Geopark . The Mansfelder Land region was shaped by centuries of mining.
Hatred Mountains	BY BY	1974	860	The nature park is characterized by the hilly landscape of the Haßberge . The elongated ridge drops steeply in the west and very gradually towards the east, which is related to the storage conditions of the geological layers. In the south the nature park borders on the Main valley .
Hessian Rhön	HE HE	1963	720	The nature park includes the north-western Rhön , as well as parts of the foreland. The border to the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park runs across the elongated plateau . The low mountain range is characterized by wooded hilltops and forest-free high areas.
Hessian Spessart	HE HE	1962	729	The nature park is characterized by oak and beech forests, deep valleys, gentle slopes and heights of the Spessart . The Bavarian part of the Spessart connects to the south; in the north the nature park is bounded by the Kinzig .
Deer forest	BY BY	2006	278	The nature park used to be an electoral hunting area. It is the oldest forest and one of the largest forest areas in the entire region. It is characterized by flood plains and the steep slopes to Vils and Lauterach .
Hohe Mark-Westmünsterland	NW NW	1964	1040	The nature park encompasses the wooded ridges of the Haltern Mountains - Hohe Mark (together with the northwestern foothills of the Rekener Berge and Die Berge ), Haard and Borkenberge - which have gentle heights and lie in the southern Münsterland . The region is characterized by a diverse and varied landscape. The Haard and the Borkenberge are adjacent .
High Fläming	BB BB	1997	827	The nature park comprises two different regions, in the north the flat lowland landscape of the Belziger landscape meadows and in the south the hilly and wooded landscape of the Hohen Fläming . The region is characterized by large, contiguous forest areas and a network of streams and springs.
High Fens Eifel	RP RP NW BE NW Belgium	1960	1751	The German-Belgian nature park includes the Eifel with the Hocheifel and the Hohe Venn . The southern Hocheifel is characterized by wooded mountain ridges cut through by the Prüm and the Kyll . The Foothills of the Fens has gentle elevations.
Holstein Switzerland	SH SH	1986	753	The nature park includes a large number of lakes, such as the Great Plöner See , which are embedded in the young moraine landscape of the Schleswig-Holstein hill country that was created during the Vistula Ice Age . The hilly landscape is traversed by the rivers Schwentine and Kossau .
Humpback	NI NI	2015	577	The nature park includes the Hümmling in the northeastern Emsland, a gently undulating ground moraine landscape that was created during the Saale Ice Age . The agricultural landscape, which is traversed by the rivers Ohe and Nordradde , which rises in the center, is shaped by forests, moors and heathland .
Hüttener Mountains	SH SH	1970	219	The nature park includes the Hüttener Mountains, the northernmost hilly area in Germany and is largely part of the Schleswig Geest . The hilly landscape was created by glacier push-ups in the last ice age .
Usedom Island	MV MV	1999	632	The nature park includes the island of Usedom as well as the water towards the mainland and a small strip of mainland. About 30 percent of the region is forested and has a large variety of landscape forms in a very small space.
Kellerwald-Edersee	HE HE	2001	406	The nature park is characterized by a low mountain range with gentle valleys and hills. It covers part of the cellar forest , is traversed by the Eder and extends to the Edersee . One of the largest beech forests in Europe is under nature protection in the nature park.
Kyffhauser	TH TH	2008	305	The nature park is characterized by the geologically very different areas of the Kyffhäuser Mountains, the Windleite and the Hainleite . In the north it has shares in the Goldene Aue (bird sanctuary of international importance). Half of the nature park is forested and has grasslands with orchids and steppe plants.
Lahn-Dill-Bergland	HE HE	2007	874	The nature park covers larger parts of the Gladenbacher Bergland . In the northwest the nature park borders on the Rothaargebirge , in the southwest on the Westerwald and in the south on the Taunus . More than half of the nature park is forested and partly crisscrossed with rocky landscapes. The Sauerland-Rothaargebirge nature park joins to the northwest .
Lauenburg lakes	SH SH	1960	474	The nature park includes the Lauenburg lakes such as the Ratzeburger See and the Schaalsee and is covered with extensive forest areas, which take up about a quarter of the nature park. It is characterized by terminal moraine heights and in the south by gently undulating sandy areas.
Lueneburg Heath	NI NI	1921	1130	The nature park includes parts of the Lüneburg Heath , which has extensive, typical heather areas , and is traversed by the Wümme , which rises there. The hilly landscape was formed by ice age glaciers. Large areas of the region are taken up by pine forest .
Maas-Schwalm-Nette	NW NW NL Netherlands	1965	435	The nature park passes into Dutch territory and is characterized by extensive forests in the border area. The region is a varied area, traversed by the eponymous rivers Schwalm and Nette and includes the areas of Süchtelner Heights and Hardter Forest.
Märkische Schweiz	BB BB	1990	205	The nature park includes a hilly landscape, the Buckower Forest and numerous lakes, which were formed by the glaciers of the last Ice Age . The region is criss-crossed with valleys and across the nature park goes the Buckower Rinne, which was washed out by the meltwater from the glaciers.
Mecklenburg Switzerland and Lake Kummerower	MV MV	1997	673	The nature park is only sparsely forested and includes the Malchiner See , the Kummerower See and the Teterower See . The river Peene flows through it . The region is characterized by the chain of hills in the center of the nature park and the lowlands formed by the Ice Age .
Münden	NI NI	1959	450	The nature park comprises the northern part of the Kaufunger Forest , the Bramwald and the Dransfeld Stadtwald . In the west it meets the Reinhardswald Nature Park , in the south the Geo-Nature Park Frau-Holle-Land . It is characterized by a low mountain range with plateaus and large, contiguous forest areas.
Nagelfluhkette	BY BY AT Austria	2008	247	The nature park is the first cross-border facility of its kind between Germany and Austria. It stretches over the southwestern edge of the Allgäu and large parts of the Vorderen Bregenzerwald . It is named after the mountain ridge on the northern edge of the Allgäu Alps , which consists of the conglomerate rock of the Nagelfluh .
Nassau	RP RP	1963	590	The nature park is located in the Rhenish Slate Mountains and is traversed by the deeply incised, winding Lahn in an east-west direction. Several secluded side valleys lead steeply up to the heights of the Westerwald and Taunus .
Neckar Valley-Odenwald	BW BW	1980	1292	The nature park covers the wooded low mountain range of the Odenwald with deeply cut valleys. Adjacent landscapes are the building land in the east, the mountain road in the west and the deeply cut Neckar valley in the south.
Lower Lusatian heathland	BB BB	1996	484	The nature park is characterized by ground moraines and terminal moraines , but also by glacial valleys and sand areas that originate from the Saale Ice Age . In the north, large, contiguous forest areas extend on sandy plateaus.
Lower Lusatian ridge	BB BB	1997	586	The nature park includes the ridge down Landrücken, a typical terminal moraine from the ice age . The region is traversed by the north-western Baruther glacial valley , to which the nature park drops steeply.
Northern Upper Palatinate Forest	BY BY	1975	1380	The nature park covers the hilly low mountain range of the northern Upper Palatinate Forest . In the west, forests, fields, meadows and pastures alternate. Greater heights are reached in the east, in the Bavarian Forest .
Nossentiner / Schwinzer Heide	MV MV	1994	365	The nature park consists of 60 percent forest and almost 60 partly silted up lakes and comprises a largely flat landscape that is only occasionally overlooked by a few hills. The region is characterized by wide expanses of sand that have occasionally been blown into dunes .
Nuthe-Nieplitz	BB BB	1999	623	The nature park is characterized by the humid lowlands of the Nuthe and Nieplitz rivers and by natural beech forests. The central area of the region is at the end of Weichseleiszeit as Zwischenurstromtal formed of defrosting glacier.
Upper Danube	BW BW	1980	1350	The nature park comprises the highest areas of the Swabian Alb between Lake Constance and the Black Forest . The Alb plateau is covered by extensive forest areas and slopes gently to the south. The region is cut through by the Danube, which is sunk deep into the limestone layers .
Upper Bavarian Forest	BY BY	1965	1738	The nature park covers the northwest of the Bavarian Forest and extends from the ridge line to the Falkensteiner Vorwald. The landscape is characterized by sweeping mountain ridges and the valleys and villages embedded in them.
Upper Palatinate Forest	BY BY	1971	817	The nature park is almost half wooded and is characterized by an extensive undulating to hilly landscape with many small rivers and streams. It essentially comprises the rear and the front Upper Palatinate Forest .
Palatinate Forest	RP RP	1958	1798	With a forest share of 76 percent, the nature park comprises the largest contiguous forest area in Germany. It is characterized by a diverse and impressive red sandstone landscape that is not seen anywhere else in Germany.
Reinhardswald	HE HE	2017	449	The nature park includes the Reinhardswald , an extensive, mostly densely wooded and almost uninhabited red sandstone plateau , and the lower valley of the Diemel , cut into sediments of the limestone , which has the last large limestone grassland landscape in northwest Germany. It borders the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge , Solling-Vogler and Münden nature parks .
Rhine-Taunus	HE HE	1968	808	The nature park covers the western part of the Taunus and extends over the Idstein basin to the Rhine . It is characterized by a 60 percent wooded low mountain range, which slopes steeply to the breakthrough valley of the Middle Rhine.
Rhine-Westerwald	RP RP	1962	446	The nature park belongs to the Niederwesterwald , part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains . The nature park is traversed by the Wied in a wide hollow and partly in a gorge-like narrow valley . About 45 percent are forested.
Rhineland	NW NW	1978	1052	The nature park was called Kottenforst-Ville Nature Park until December 12, 2005 . It lies between the Rhine plain with the edge areas of the Cologne Bay and the Erft . The Ville , an elongated ridge that runs parallel to the Rhine, runs right through the park, which is characterized by a variety of landscapes .
Saale-Unstrut-Triasland	ST ST	1991	1037	The nature park comprises parts of the middle Saale valley and the lower Unstrut valley with the neighboring plateaus. It is characterized by rolling hills and a predominantly open landscape. There are vineyards and orchards .
Saar-Hunsrück	RP RP SL SL	1980	2055	The nature park includes the Hunsrück with the Black Forest high forest and the Osburger high forest . The region is characterized by a low mountain range with deeply cut valleys, wooded ridges , meadows and rocks.
Sauerland-Rothaar Mountains	NW NW	2015	3827	The nature park was created from the merger of the Ebbegebirge , Homert and Rothaargebirge nature parks .
Schlaubetal	BB BB	1995	228	The nature park includes the North heathland Reicherskreuz Heath and is of primary , final and Strauchmoränenresten, outwash plains and inland dunes coined. The meltwater systems of the Schlaube , Dorche , Oelse and Demnitz, created during the Vistula Ice Age , are located in the region .
Schlei	SH SH	2008	498	The Schlei Nature Park encompasses the entire estuary of the same name, including numerous tributaries, inland and brackish waters from the Baltic Sea coast to Schleswig . Large parts of its bank areas and the hinterland of the neighboring landscapes Schwansen (in the south) and fishing (in the north) also belong to the nature park. In addition to the coastal region, the nature park area is characterized by a varied, mostly semi-open hilly landscape, smaller moors and numerous kinks .
Schönbuch	BW BW	1972	156	The nature park includes the Schönbuch and is the largest contiguous forest area in the Stuttgart region . It is bordered to the south by the Ammer and Neckar valleys. The eastern border is the Filder plateau and in the west the plain of the Gäu .
Swabian-Franconian Forest	BW BW	1979	1270	The nature park is divided into five smaller regions, Welzheimer , Murrhardter and Mainhardter Wald as well as Waldenburger and Löwensteiner mountains . The region is characterized by bizarre rock formations and steep Keuper slopes.
Black Forest middle / north	BW BW	2000	3750	The nature park is characterized by the diverse Black Forest landscape with deeply indented valleys, rocks, streams and large, contiguous forest areas. Tree- free grinds can be found in the higher elevations . The Southern Black Forest Nature Park joins in the south .
Siebengebirge	NW NW	1959	112	The nature park includes the Siebengebirge nature reserve and areas adjacent to the north and east. The Siebengebirge is characterized by a unique rocky landscape of volcanic origin, carved out by erosion and exposure.
Solling-Vogler in the Weser Uplands	NI NI	1966	555	The nature park includes the two low mountain ranges Solling and Vogler and the Burgberg ridge in between . To the west it borders on the Weser Valley . Mountains are not prominent and run flat at the edge. The deciduous and coniferous forest is continuous, smaller streams round off the landscape in a picturesque way.
Soonwald-Nahe	RP RP	2005	736	The nature park has different landscapes in a small area, includes the plateaus of the Hunsrück , the quartzite ridges of the Soonwald with deep, incised brooks and the Nahe valley . The region is characterized by extensive deciduous forests.
Stechlin-Ruppiner Land	BB BB	2001	683	The nature park is 62 percent forested and borders the Uckermärkische Seen nature park . The region is characterized by a long chain of lakes, including many rare clear water lakes. The large beech forests are ecologically valuable.
Steigerwald	BY BY	1971	1280	The nature park is characterized by a gentle, wooded, low mountain range with beech and partly light oak forests. In the north, the Steigerwald is bordered by the large Main bow and in the south by the Aisch .
steinhuder sea	NI NI	1974	420	The nature park includes the largest inland lake in north-west Germany, the Steinhuder Meer , and is very poorly forested. The region is characterized by moors , which take up about a quarter of the nature park. The region was formed as a glacial valley from the Saale Ice Age .
Stone forest	BY BY	1970	246	The nature park includes the stone forest , is embedded between the Fichtelgebirge and the Upper Palatinate Forest and has a great variety of landscapes. It is essentially characterized by a basalt dome landscape with bizarre block seas and rock castles.
Sternberger Seenland	MV MV	2005	540	The nature park comprises the middle Warnow valley and the Sternberg lake landscape . The region is characterized by wooded sand areas , glacial valleys of the Warnow and Mildenitz as well as meltwater lakes and terminal moraines
Stromberg-Heuchelberg	BW BW	1980	328	The nature park includes the Stromberg landscape and the Heuchelberg ridge and is characterized by a wooded, hilly landscape. Geologically it belongs to the Keuperbergland . The north slopes are mostly covered with forest, the south slopes with vineyards.
South Eifel	RP RP LU Luxembourg	1958	432	The nature park covers the western part of the southern Eifel . It is characterized by a hilly landscape with wide-span plateaus , deeply cut valleys and rugged rocky areas. The nature park is part of the transnational German-Luxembourg nature park .
South Harz	TH TH	2010	270	The nature park extends from Ellrich via Nordhausen to the old tunnel near Urbach . The steep, forested edge heights of the Harz flow picturesquely into an adjoining, hilly gypsum karst landscape . The South Harz Nature Park is the fifth designated nature park in Thuringia and with 26,700 hectares also the smallest in the Free State .
Südheide	NI NI	1963	500	The nature park is located in the southern Lüneburg Heath and is characterized by large areas of forest and heather . The landscape was formed in the Ice Age and is characterized by undulating to gently hilly terrain and large contiguous forest areas.
Southern Black Forest	BW BW	1999	3940	Two thirds of the nature park is covered with forest and characterized by deeply indented valleys of the Black Forest . In the west and south it extends to the Rhine , in the east to the Alb-Wutach area and in the north to the Middle Black Forest .
Taunus	HE HE	1962	1348	The nature park was called the Hochtaunus Nature Park until December 2012 . It comprises the main ridge and the eastern Hintertaunus of the wooded, wavy to mountainous low mountain range Taunus , which is larger in area and roofs north to the Lahn . In the Hochtaunus there is a coniferous forest , in the eastern Hintertaunus mostly deciduous forest .
TERRA.vita - Northern Teutoburg Forest, Wiehen Mountains, Osnabrücker Land	NW NW NI NI	1962	1510	The nature and geopark was formerly called the Northern Teutoburg Forest-Wiehengebirge Nature Park . It includes areas of the Teutoburg Forest , Wiehengebirge , Weser Mountains and the Osnabrücker Land . The park is characterized by a varied and diverse low mountain range, which is criss-crossed by many valleys.
Teutoburg Forest / Egge Mountains	NW NW	1965	2736	The nature park includes the mountain ranges of the southern Teutoburg Forest and the Egge Mountains . The landscape is characterized by a varied and diverse low mountain range and is densely forested.
Thuringian Slate Mountains / Upper Saale	TH TH	1990	873	The nature park is characterized by deeply cut valleys, especially the Saale , which flows with numerous windings through its valley between the mountain ridges . The undulating plateaus are partly covered with dense spruce forest .
Thuringian Forest	TH TH	1990	2082	The nature park extends over almost the entire Thuringian Forest and the Thuringian Slate Mountains . The region is predominantly forested and characterized by deeply cut valleys. The Rennsteig hiking trail runs along the ridge .
Uckermark Lakes	BB BB	1997	897	The nature park is a landscape shaped by the Ice Age and about half of it is forested. Hills and lakes alternate in a narrow space on the terminal moraine wall. In the south, the ice left extensive sand areas in addition to scree, into which many small channel lakes and moors are sunk.
Lower Saale Valley	ST ST	2005	408	The nature park includes the lower Saale valley and is characterized by glacial deposits and a porphyry hill landscape. The region is broken through by mountain bridges with steeply protruding rocks and slopes.
Vulkaneifel	RP RP	2010	980	The area of the nature and geopark spans districts and includes most of the Vulkaneifel district as well as areas of the neighboring districts of Bernkastel-Wittlich and Cochem-Zell. The core zones are the Salmwald and the Lieser and Uessbach valleys.
Vogelsberg volcanic region	HE HE	1958	880	The nature park was called the Hoher Vogelsberg Nature Park until November 2016 . It covers the central area of the Vogelsberg with the largest basalt mass in Europe. It is characterized by mixed forest, which accounts for around 34 percent, as well as grassland and wetlands.
Weserbergland	NI NI	1975	1160	The nature park lies in the transition area between the low mountain range and the North German lowlands and is divided by the Weser . Gently sloping slopes, covered by large contiguous forests, alternate with small-scale valleys.
Westensee	SH SH	1969	260	The nature park includes the Westensee , which was formed at the end of the Vistula Ice Age and is traversed by the Eider , as well as hilly ridges. The landscape is characterized by rolling hills and valleys, forests, lakes and moors .
West Havelland	BB BB	1998	1315	The nature park comprises the largest contiguous wetland in inland Europe and is of international importance. Large areas of the region are taken up by inland dunes and sand areas . The region is traversed by the Havel and its tributaries.
Wildeshauser Geest	NI NI	1984	1554	The nature park includes the lowlands on both sides of the Hunte . The poorly forested region is characterized by part of the north-west German Geestrück with quiet river valleys and heather areas . The region was formed in the Saale Ice Age .
Zittau Mountains	SN SN	2007	133	The nature park includes the Zittau Mountains and its foreland and lies in the border triangle with Poland and the Czech Republic . The smallest German low mountain range is characterized by diverse sandstone mountains, rock formations, volcanic peaks and cut valleys.
Schaffhausen Regional Nature Park	BW BW Switzerland	2018	209	The nature park is a cross-border nature park in Switzerland and Germany . The park comprises 13 communities in Schaffhausen and two communities from the state of Baden-Württemberg on an area of 209 km² .

Former nature parks

Remarks:

Country: Flag and abbreviation of the federal state (according to ISO 3166-2: DE ) or the neighboring state (see: ISO 3166-1 coding list ) in which the nature park is located.
Existence: Period from establishment to dissolution
Area: information in km² ; in the case of transnational nature parks, the area is given that was within Germany.

Surname	country	existence	surface	description
Ebbe Mountains	NW NW	1964– 2015	777	The nature park was in the Ebbegebirge . About two thirds of its former area is forested; it contains several dams like the Biggesee and is crossed by several river valleys like that of the Lenne . Today part of the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge nature park.
Homert	NW NW	1965- 2015	550	The nature park was located between the Ruhr Valley in the northeast and the Lennetal in the southwest. The varied, wooded region is characterized by peaks and ridges , river valleys, bizarre cliffs and rock formations. Today part of the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge nature park.
Mecklenburg Elbe Valley	MV MV	1998-2015	426	The nature park encompassed a pristine landscape on the Elbe with some tributaries, inland dune areas , dry sand grass , slopes of the Elbe banks, forests and heather landscapes.
Rothaar Mountains	NW NW	1963– 2015	1355	The nature park included the Rothaargebirge . Its former area is about 65 percent wooded with spruce and beech trees . The region is characterized by a diverse low mountain range between the upper Ruhr and the Lahn . The Ebbegebirge Nature Park and the Homert Nature Park followed to the west and northwest, the Diemelsee Nature Park to the north and the Lahn-Dill-Bergland Nature Park to the southeast . Today part of the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge nature park.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Nature parks Germany , from the Association of German Nature Parks (VDN), accessed on May 6, 2013, on naturparke.de

↑ A natural paradise made by human hands - Lüneburg Heath Nature Park , at Umwelt.niedersachsen.de

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d from the literature section : The great ADAC leisure guide - The last paradises - Our most beautiful nature and national parks in Germany
^ The Augsburg Nature Park - Western Forests. (PDF; 1003.7 kB) In: naturpark-augsburg.de. Retrieved June 23, 2015 . (Augsburg Western Forests Nature Park e.V.)
↑ Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information ), Protected Areas in Germany , accessed on March 25, 2019.
↑ Find nature park (accessed January 25, 2018)

literature

Karl-Heinz Bochow, Klaus Bötig and others: The great ADAC leisure guide - The last paradises - Our most beautiful nature and national parks in Germany. ADAC Verlag, Munich and Verlag Das Beste, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-87003-661-3 .