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.
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 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.
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 Müritzeum shows the beauty and special features of the Mecklenburg Lake District and the Müritz National Park in an interactive exhibition. In Germany's largest aquarium landscape for native freshwater fish, you dive under the water surface of the 1000 lakes.
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.
The small farm village of Schwarzenhof has a national park information center featuring a photo exhibition.
Welcome to the PAHLHUUS, the visitor centre of the UNESCO biosphere reserve „Schaalsee“. We are happy to inform you about touristic offers and show you the most beautiful places in the biosphere reserve. Extraordinary insights into nature and landscape of the region await you in an interactive exhibition.
The Müritz National Park: famous for its sea-eagles, ospreys and thousands of rabbits that rest here in the autumn and spring.
"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.
The visitor information centre called “Kratzeburger Flatterhus“ houses an exhibition about the mysterious hunters of the night: the bats.
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.
The MEERESMUSEUM in Stralsund's old town is currently closed. The museum is expected to open in 2024 after extensive modernization work.
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 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.
