The Hainich nationalpark invites with a fascinating, unaffected landscape with a seldom flora and fauna to rediscover nature.

The Hainich nationalpark was set up on 31.12.1997 as the 13th national park of Germany. Its acreage is 7.600 hectares. With a total area of about 16.000 hectares is the Hainich  the biggest connected deciduous forest field of Germany. It lies in Germany's middle, in Thuringia, in the triangle of the cities Eisenach, Mühlhausen and Bad Langensalza.

In the Hainich nationalpark the "primeval forest right in the middle of Germany" is supposed to develop itself without interference. According to the motto of the German Nationalpark „nature, be nature", currently already 87 % of the total area of the national park are unused. Only coniferous forest supplies and willow faces are used. That means that the Hainich with about 5.400 hectares is the biggest not used deciduous forest face in Germany at this time.

Natural room

The Hainich is a shell limestone mountain range; its highest elevation is the "Alte Berg" (old mountain) with 494 meters. Characterizing for the Hainich are the typical deciduous forests in central Europe. They are natural large forest faces as they would occur in central Europe without influence of human being, with the red beech as a dominating tree species. The Hainich shows a great spectrum of beech forest species but also numerous other deciduous tree kinds like ash trees, maples, limes and the seldom service tree.

Beech forests can only be found in Europe, emphatical in central Europe. The Hainich nationalpark is worldwide unique since it protects lime-beech forests as a single national park on shell limestone in middle altitude. Unlike many other forest fields of Germany and central Europe the forest supplies in the Hainich remained in spite of long use over centuries relatively semi-natural. Nature external supplies take only small parts; so the coniferous forest part  in the national park is only 3 % of the total area.

The "primeval forest right in Germany" returns

In the last 50 years forest supplies could develop in the south part of the Hainichs which are presumably similar to the natural forest which disappeared long time ago in central europe. On formerly militarily used open spaces happens an impressing reforestation-process by now. Hence the Hainich nationalpark presents itself as a living space mosaic. It exists in the edge zones out of meager lawns that are interspersed with numerous small waters as well as larger and smaller shrubberies and wood groups. Especially colorfully are the forests in spring, when the ground is covered by spring flowers and the colored autumn shows the tree species fortune.

The diverse kind spectrum of the animal and plant world in the Hainich nationalpark is quite impressing. Especially the wildcat, the forest bats, different woodpecker kinds, wood inhabiting beetles, mushrooms and spring flowers are to be emphasized.

For further information:  www.nationalpark-hainich.de