Welcome to Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park
In 2015, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, together with Saarland, established the first national park in Hunsrück, the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park. Germany's youngest national park is located between the towns of Idar-Oberstein, Birkenfeld, Hermeskeil, Morbach and Nonnweiler. The total area of the protected area is around 10,000 hectares. Vast beech forests, rare moors, stony Rosselhalden as well as arnica and bristly grass meadows make up the special features of the national park. The most important purpose of protection is process conservation according to the motto "Let nature be nature".
The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park lets nature take over. Step by step, untouched wilderness returns. It plays an important role in preserving ancient beech forests, which are considered highly endangered in Europe. Half of the national park area is forested with beech. The red beech, a rather rare species worldwide, grows here in particular.
In addition to nature, special cultural treasures also make the region unique: the Celtic ring wall in Otzenhausen, medieval castle ruins, old charcoal-burning sites and gemstone mines as well as rich flora and fauna with one of the largest wildcat populations in Europe.
Those who want to experience nature and learn interesting facts about the National Park will be interested in the tour offers. The guided ranger and adventure tours start at the Erbeskopf National Park Gate or at another ranger meeting point in the National Park. Information (dates, locations, topics) on the free or chargeable tours is available on a daily basis at
www.nationalpark-hunsrueck-hochwald.de.
Three national park gates are the contact points for visitors to the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park. The interactive exhibition ‘Welcome to the primeval forest of tomorrow’ at the
Erbeskopf National Park Gate uses staged and interactive exhibits to transport visitors to the diverse landscapes and species-rich habitats of the national park. Projections and experimental stations provide insights into nature and its inhabitants. The national park exhibition in the Erbeskopf National Park Gate is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Outside, visitors can find out what contribution they can make to nature conservation on a circular trail with an outdoor exhibition.
In the
Celtic Park National Park Gate near Otzenhausen in Saarland, there is an indoor exhibition on Celtic cultural history and the national park. Archaeological reconstructions tell of the settlement history of the Celts. The Celtic village can be visited right next door. The reconstructed buildings are modelled on Celtic dwellings and storehouses.
The
Wildenburg National Park Gate is located at Wildenburg Castle near Kempfeld. The wildlife park there is particularly popular with families with children. The Wildenburg National Park Gate focuses on the themes of ‘rocks’ and ‘animals’.
Source: DataHub Rheinland-Pfalz
