The forest as a diverse habitat is more important than ever. It is important to know and understand them in order to preserve the old UNESCO beech forests. Dr. Stodian, head of the Jasmund National Park department, explains the different layers of the forest on the chalk cliffs on Rügen in Germany's smallest national park.
Because the Stubnitz is a national park, humans are not allowed to intervene. Stodian shows an uprooted giant tree. Behind it, a fox snorts through the grass. Frogs are croaking. Stodian knows exactly how important deadwood is for the forest: fungi decompose it, then moss and grass grow on it, and beetles take up residence. Deadwood also develops because the beech trees sometimes do not find enough support on the drier trees. The good thing about this is that it creates space for new forest communities to develop.
Beeches have been growing on Jasmund for 800 years. Beech forests were once the European primeval forest. But today they are rare. With over 650,000 trees, Jasmund has the largest contiguous beech forest in the entire Baltic Sea region. But the other protected areas in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - the Ivenack oaks, the Dar Forest and the primeval forest on the Peene River - are also magnificent cathedrals of nature.
The visitor information centre called “Kratzeburger Flatterhus“ houses an exhibition about the mysterious hunters of the night: the bats.
With its five exhibitions and 46 aquariums, the OZEANEUM Stralsund invites you on an extraordinary underwater journey beneath the northern seas. Visit Humboldt penguins on the roof terrace, "Niki" the female sand tiger shark in the 2.6-million-litre pool "Open Atlantic" and the giants of the sea - real life replicas of whales.
The island of Usedom is one of the areas with the most bird species in Germany. Overall, more than 280 species have been observed, 150 of them also brood here. 11 kinds of raptors regularly brood in the nature park, one of them is the sea-eagle. The visitor centre of the island of Usedom is located next to the information centre of the city of Usedom on the ground floor of the “Klaus-Bahlsen-Haus”. The visitor centre could only be built and furnished with the aid of the great commitment and the generous support of the correspondent foundation.
Right next to the famous Königsstuhl chalk cliffs and the UNESCO World Heritage Old Beech Forests, the KÖNIGSSTUHL National Park Center offers a special nature experience for the whole family, whatever the weather. A world full of secrets is waiting to be discovered on 2,000 square meters of exhibition space and 28,000 square meters of outdoor area - multilingual and barrier-free.
Brown bears – all of which came from improperly kept habitats – live in Western Europe’s largest bear sanctuary in the Mecklenburg Lakes. It is open all year round!
The central contact point for nature lovers and guests of the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heath Nature Park is the Karower Meiler Culture and Information Center. In addition to a permanent exhibition on the development of this cultural landscape since the last cold period, five to six special exhibitions by artists and photographers on topics of nature and landscape are shown annually.
"Veränderung" (change) is the title of the exhibition in the visitor information centre of the National Park “Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft” and hardly anything could be more appropriate for the island of Hiddensee, which is constantly growing and changing due to the forces of nature.
Since 2004, the former forester’s and guest house of the “Fürsten zu Putbus“ houses a visitor centre about the UNESCO biosphere reserve “Südost-Rügen“.
At Dömitz Fortress, you will find the Information Centre of the Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape MV, featuring permanent exhibitions as well as a rotating special exhibition.
The little village Waase, located on the isle of Ummanz, combines the scenic indentation and the island and timbered idyll. The visitor information and a small national park exhibition are combined under the thatched roof of the ”Alte Küsterei”. The colourful diversity of the isle of Ummanz and the national park represent the main focus of the small exhibition that has been renewed in 2018.
Visitor centre of the National Park “Vorpommernsche Boddenlandschaft”
The visitor centre of the national park is located close to a small timbered church in the building of the former village school and houses a photograph exhibition with the topic ”Vögel und Co. am Zotzensee”.
The small farm village of Schwarzenhof has a national park information center featuring a photo exhibition.
Accessible exhibition "The fishermen of Boek
The hiking base near the port town of Sassnitz on the island of Rügen is dedicated to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage idea. Nature lovers can learn about the phenomenon of ancient beech forests here or simply linger in the greenery, fortify themselves and unwind.
