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 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.
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”.
In the little village named Serrahn, which is located in the depths of the woods, visitors have the opportunity to have a look at the exhibition “Buchenurwälder der Karpaten und Alte Buchenwälder Deutschlands“ concerning the UNESCO world natural heritage.
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“.
The 36,000-hectare Feldberg Lake District Nature Park is located in the south-eastern part of the Mecklenburg Lake District between the towns of Fürstenberg, Woldegk and Neustrelitz. In addition to numerous lakes and kettle bogs, with a bit of luck you can admire sea eagles, ospreys and beavers here.
The exhibition about the nature park “Mecklenburgische Schweiz und Kummerower See“ in Basedow can be found in the cafe “Alter Schafstall“, on the right side of the guest room. It displays land and people of the region.
The NATUREUM as a natural history museum in the National Park of "Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft" is located on the peninsula Darß near Prerow directly at the accessible lighthouse Darßer Ort and is one of several locations of the German Oceanographic Museum. Here, the diversity, dynamics and need for protection of the unique Darß landscape are presented in particular.
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.
"Change" is the title of the exhibition in the Visitor Information Center of the National Park of Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, and hardly anything could be more appropriate for the island of Hiddensee, which is constantly growing and changing through the forces of nature.
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.
The Natural Heritage Centre Rügen with treetop path and experience exhibition is open 364 days a year so that you can experience and get to know nature all year round.
The visitor information centre in Warin is the ideal starting point in order to inform oneself about the different destinations and experiences the nature park offers. One can learn something about the landscape’s formation and the way the human’s occupation influenced its development. The unique flora and fauna of the nature park greatly fascinate the visitors. Borrow a backpack at the visitor centre and discover the nature park in your own way.
Life by a river like the Elbe has many advantages that people have used for centuries. At the same time, they had to protect themselves from the dangers of flooding and built dikes and dams. The open-air exhibition “EinFlussReich”, located in the immediate vicinity of the famous Elwkieker observation tower, provides children and adults with information on the subject of flooding in a playful way.
The visitor information centre called “Kratzeburger Flatterhus“ houses an exhibition about the mysterious hunters of the night: the bats.
