German National Parks

Across Germany today, there are a total of sixteen (16) national parks.  If you asked most Germans, they'd probably tell you there are a minimum of forty of these, but it's often confused with the fact that there are roughly one-hundred nature-parks....a totally different category.

The list?

1.  The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park....up on the northwestern coast of Germany.  With 4,400 square kilometers, it's the largest of the sixteen, and was started in the mid-1980s.

2.  The Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park....is a fairly small area, and adjacent to Hamburg-City.  It was started in the early-1990s.  Size-wise, it's just over 50 square kilometers.  A good 3-minute video at the link I posted. 

3.  The Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park was noted in the mid-1980s and is around 350 square kilometers.  The best description of the area is a collection of marshes along the north coast.

4.  Jasmund National Park was official in 1990, and is fairly small at 30 square kilometers.  It's on one end of Rugen Island, and it's chalk cliffs are what drive most folks to visit.

5.  Western Pomerania Lagoon National Park is on the far eastern coastal region of Germany, and was official in 1990.  Size-wise, it's 805 square kilometers.  It would be best described as a collection of lagoons and sandy beaches.

6.  Muritz National Park rests between Berlin and Rostock, and was noted existing in 1990.  It's size is about 300 square kilometers.  A good description of the park?  A blend of lake property, forest, and swamp.

7.  Lower Oder Valley National Park rests along the German and Polish border....and actually is a joint park between the two countries.  Size?  Around 1,100 square kilometers.  It's been around since 1990, and the best description here would be a fairly flat open plain.

8.  The Harz National Park started out in 1990, and has about 250 square kilometers of space.  It's best description (sitting on the eastern side of Germany), would be a collection of forests and some swamp-like areas.  With the link I posted, a good four-minute video of the Harz Park. 

9.  Kellerwald-Edersee National Park.  Started in 2004, it's located in Hessen (central Germany), and has around 60 square kilometers of space.  A good description of this area is forest and lake-property.

10.  Hainich National Park started in 1997, and is a total of 75 square kilometers.  It's a unique park dedicated toward a Burch forest, and has a unique walking trail built above the trees.  Oddly, part of this park was originally a military training area.

11. The Eifel National Park.  It's located on the far western end of Germany, near Aachen.  It started out in 2004, and was also a military training site (used by NATO).  You often see documentary pieces done with hikers in this area, and it's one of the more walking sites in Germany. On the link, I posted, a good 90 second video of the park.

12.  The Hunsruck-Hochwald National Park is only three years old, and the newest of the parks.  It's mostly a wooded area with open fields in the mix, with hiking trails.  It's near the Bitburg region (far west side of the country).  On the link I posted, a good 90 second video of the park.

13.  The Saxon Switzerland National Park started out in 1990, and has about 95 square kilometers.  It's on the far east side....near Dresden.  The best description here is rocky canyons with forests in abundance.  Hiking-wise, it's a place where you need to be in good shape and anticipate a bit of sweat. With the link I posted, a good four-minute video of the park. 

14.  The Bavarian Forest National Park was the first national park (1970) and rests near Mauth, in the far southeast.

15.  The Berchtesgaden National Park is the second national park of Germany (1978) and is just outside of Berchtesgaden itself.  Size?  278 square kilometers.  It's often mentioned in travel documentary pieces and fairly popular with hikers.

16.  The Black Forest National Park.  Started in 2014, it's the only such park in the southwestern region of Germany.  Oddly, it came to an intense argument over the use of the property in terms of political bickering.  The CDU/FDP folks in the region backed the timber industry which wanted to limit the project, and the Greens/SPD went for full scale project.  It is a 100 square kilometers in size and mostly all forest.

Cost to enter a German national park?  Nothing. Well....at least at this point, it's still zero.  Unlike the US effort to commercialize parks, you don't typically see much of that angle.  You will find signs, picnic tables, and hiking trails.  There are no hotels or restaurants associated with the parks.

If you asked most working-class Germans if they've ever been to one of the sixteen parks...I would take a guess that more than half would say 'no'.  I've been to one of the parks....the Saxon Switzerland Park near Dresden (which I'd highly recommend but caution against hiking).