Bavarian Forest National Park
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The Bavarian Forest National Park (german: Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald) is a
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in the Eastern Bavarian Forest immediately on
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's border with the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It was founded on 7 October 1970 as the first national park in Germany. Since its expansion on 1 August 1997 it has covered an area of 24,250
hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ab ...
. Together with the neighbouring Czech
Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in ...
the Bavarian Forest forms the largest contiguous area of forest in
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
.


Description

Especially protected are the
Norway spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...
–dominated highland forests, mixed mountain forests of
European silver fir ''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and sou ...
,
European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though mor ...
and spruce trees and water meadow spruce woods in the valleys. Although a few remnants of ancient forest remain, the National Park area is still heavily influenced by the former forestry industry. Since nature is now left to take its course again, there is no human intervention when there are catastrophic events such as large scale
bark beetle A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Although the ...
infestation. This resulted in the death of a portion of the high elevation forests in the 1990s and triggered controversial discussions amongst the residents of the National Park, which highlighted differing attitudes to the wilderness. As the result of a compromise, bark beetle is now fought in the buffer area. The highest peaks in the National Park are the
Großer Falkenstein The Großer Falkenstein or Great Falkenstein, is a mountain, high, in the Bavarian Forest about five kilometres southeast of Bayerisch Eisenstein in the Falkenstein-Rachel region of the Bavarian Forest National Park. Views From the summit cr ...
(), the Lusen () and the
Großer Rachel The Großer Rachel or Great Rachel is a mountain, ; it is the second highest summit in the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest after the Großer Arber and the highest mountain in the Bavarian Forest National Park. Together with the Kleiner Rach ...
(). In addition to the forests, there are also ecologically valuable
raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( ombro ...
s with
bog lake A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; ...
s such as the Latschensee and former high meadows, the so-called ''
Schachten ''Schachten'' (singul.) are ancient areas of pasture in the Bavarian Forest in Germany, some of which are still used today. Description Similar to the alms or alpine pastures of the Alps, ''Schachten'' are treeless forest meadows. These open ...
'', which spread even further on the Czech side of the border in the
Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in ...
. With over 700,000 visitors per year, the National Park is an important economic factor in the economically underdeveloped region of the Bavarian Forest.


Geography

The National Park runs along the main ridge of the Bavarian Forest from the Großer Falkenstein (1,305 m) in the northwest past the Großer Rachel (1,453 m) to the Lusen (1,373 m) in the southeast. According to the classification of the major natural regions of Germany it is part of the
Rear Bavarian Forest The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is con ...
(''Hinterer Bayerischer Wald'') in the
Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest The Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest (german: Oberpfälzisch-Bayerische Wald), (no. D63 or 40) is a natural region in Germany in the northeast of Bavaria. It mainly comprises the low mountain ranges of the Bavarian Forest and Upper Palatine Forest wh ...
. On the other side of the border in the Czech Republic, the Bavarian Forest National Park is bounded by the
Šumava National Park The Šumava National Park ( cs, Národní park Šumava, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park, is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller ad ...
which is 68,064 hectares in area. The
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
is located in the eastern part of Bavaria in the counties of
Regen Regen ( Northern Bavarian: ''Reng'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the district town of the district of Regen. Geography Regen is situated on the great Regen River, located in the Bavarian Forest. Divisions Originally the town consisted o ...
and
Freyung-Grafenau Freyung-Grafenau is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Passau, Deggendorf and Regen, the Czech Republic and by Austria. History The district was established in 1972, by ...
along the border with the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and covers an area of 24,250 hectares of forest covering the low
mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
of the
Bavarian Forest The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is con ...
. It borders on the municipalities of (from north to south):
Bayerisch Eisenstein Bayerisch Eisenstein, until 1951 just Eisenstein ( cs, Bavorská Železná Ruda) is a village and a municipality in the Regen district, in Bavaria, Germany. Geography Bayerisch Eisenstein is part of Bayerischer Wald and borders the first German ...
,
Zwiesel Zwiesel ( cs, Svízel) is a town in the lower-Bavarian district of Regen, and since 1972 is a Luftkurort with particularly good air. The name of the town was derived from the Bavarian word stem "zwisl" which refers to the form of a fork. The fo ...
,
Lindberg Lindberg is a municipality in the district of Regen in Bavaria in Germany in the immediate neighbourhood of the larger town Zwiesel. Location Lindberg lies in the Danube Forest (''Donau-Wald'') region in the middle of the Bavarian Forest on ...
,
Frauenau Frauenau is a municipality in the district of Regen, in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for its artificial lake, which is used as a water supply of the area around Deggendorf Deggendorf () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Deggendor ...
,
Spiegelau Spiegelau is a municipality in the district of Freyung-Grafenau in Bavaria in Germany. It lies in the heart of the Bavarian Forest. Subdivisions There are 33 villages in the municipality: There are also the ''Gemarkungen'' of Spiegelau, Obe ...
,
Sankt Oswald-Riedlhütte Sankt Oswald-Riedlhütte is a municipality in the district of Freyung-Grafenau in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in E ...
, Neuschönau, Hohenau and
Mauth Mauth is a municipality in the district of Freyung-Grafenau in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia ...
. Parts of the National Park are located on the territory of the respective communities and parts also lie in
unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparish ...
s. There are many
enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
s in the national park, especially around the edges: * Zwieslerwaldhaus at the foot of the
Großer Falkenstein The Großer Falkenstein or Great Falkenstein, is a mountain, high, in the Bavarian Forest about five kilometres southeast of Bayerisch Eisenstein in the Falkenstein-Rachel region of the Bavarian Forest National Park. Views From the summit cr ...
belongs to the municipality Lindberg. * Schleicher and Kreuzstraßl belong to Lindberg. * Neuhütte and Jägerfleck in Spiegelau * Guglöd, belongs to St. Oswald-Riedlhütte * Waldhäuser on the Lusen, is part of Neuschönau, the largest enclave in the national park * Altschönau, is part of Neuschönau. * Sagwasser-Säge and Weidhütte form a joint functional enclave belonging to Hohenau and which is joined to the rest of the country, but can only be accessed on a road passing through the national park. * Glashütte is part of Hohenau. In addition, there are several other enclaves that comprise just one or a few small plots. These numerous enclaves, especially in the ''Altgebiet'' make the border very long there, and the buffer zone, where bark beetle control is allowed, extends far into the interior of the park (see below for more details).


Ecology


Mammals

The park is home to many rare mammals such as the
Eurasian lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...
(''Lynx lynx''),
wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
(''Felis silvestris''),
beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
(''Castor fiber''),
Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...
(''Lutra lutra''),
western barbastelle The western barbastelle (''Barbastella barbastellus''), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus ''Barbastella''. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, where ...
(''Barbastella barbastellus''),
Bechstein's bat Bechstein's bat (''Myotis bechsteinii'') is a species of vesper bat found in Europe and western Asia, living in extensive areas of woodland. Description Bechstein's bat is a medium-sized and relatively long-eared bat. The adult has a long, fluf ...
(''Myotis bechsteini'') and the
greater mouse-eared bat The greater mouse-eared bat (''Myotis myotis'') is a European species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. Description ''Myotis myotis'' is a large bat with a long, broad muzzle and big, long ears. The body's dorsal side is brown to reddish-b ...
(''Myotis myotis''). Also present are
red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...
, in which two-thirds of the population overwinter in an enclosure, in order to prevent excessive grazing to the land. Even
moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...
have been recorded in the park, from a population in the
Lipno Reservoir The Lipno Reservoir ( cs, přehrada Lipno) is a dam and hydroelectric plant constructed along the Vltava River in the Czech Republic. It is the largest water area in the Czech Republic. History Due to frequent flooding and subsequent damage, the ...
, Czech Republic. Lynx were eradicated from the National Park in around 1850, but in the 1970s five to ten were released into the park, along with another 17 released in the Šumava national park a decade later. This resulted in an initially strong increase in the Lynx population in the region, but between 1995 and 2008, the population decreased significantly. This was possibly due to the illegal killing of the animals on both the Czech and Bavarian sides.
Brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kno ...
are not found in the wild in the park. In 2016, a pair of
wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
were discovered in the park.


Birds

Many rarely seen species of birds are found in the national park. These include
capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Taxonomy The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ...
,
hazel grouse The hazel grouse (''Tetrastes bonasia''), sometimes called the hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido, and as far west as eastern a ...
,
peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
,
European honey-buzzard The European honey buzzard (''Pernis apivorus''), also known as the pern or common pern, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Etymology Despite its English name, this species is more closely related to kites of the genera '' Leptodon'' a ...
,
black stork The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...
and Eurasian pygmy owl.


Insects

In the national park over 1800
beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
species have currently been identified, including 14
ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
specialist species. Very rare insect species such as '' Tragosoma depsarium'', a
longhorn beetle The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than ...
which can only be found in forests rich in
dead wood ''Dead Wood'' is a 2007 British horror film, written, produced and directed by Richard Stiles and David Bryant and starring Emily Juniper, Fergus March, Rebecca Craven, Nina Kwok and John Samuel Worsey with Bryant appearing in a small role. ''D ...
.


Plants

Rare and endangered plant species which are found in the national park include Hungarian gentian, Swertia perennis and the mosses
Buxbaumia viridis ''Buxbaumia viridis'', also known as the green shield-moss, is a rare bryophyte found sporadically throughout the northern hemisphere. The gametophyte of this moss is not macroscopically visible; the large, distinct sporophyte of ''B. viridis'' i ...
and
Dicranum viride ''Dicranum viride'' is a species of moss belonging to the family Dicranaceae. It is native to Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is ...
.


Literature

* Hans Bibelriether, Hartmut Strunz: ''Unterwegs im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald. Ein Führer für Wanderer und Naturfreunde''. Wald erleben, Natur verstehen. Morsak, Grafenau 1990, 213 S., * Hans Bibelriether, Hannes Burger: ''Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald''. Süddeutscher Verlag und Morsak-Verlag, München und Grafenau 1983, 175 S., und * Marco Heurich, Hans Jehl: ''Waldentwicklung im Bergwald nach Windwurf und Borkenkäferbefall''. Grafenau 2001. 182 S. * Marco Heurich, Markus Neufanger: ''Die Wälder des Nationalparks Bayerischer Wald. Ergebnisse der Waldinventur 2002/2003 im geschichtlichen und waldökologischen Kontext''. Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald: Wissenschaftliche Reihe, Heft 16. Nationalparkverwaltung Bayerischer Wald, Grafenau 2005, 176 S., * Stefan Nüßlein: ''Zur Waldentwicklung im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald 1999. Buchdrucker-Massenvermehrung und Totholzflächen im Rachel-Lusen-Gebiet''. Berichte aus der Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft, Nr. 25. Bayerische Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft (LWF), Freising 2000, 47 S. * Wolfgang Scherzinger: ''Artenschutzprojekt Auerhuhn im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald von 1985–2000''. Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald: Wissenschaftliche Reihe, Heft 15. Nationalparkverwaltung Bayerischer Wald, Grafenau 2003, 130 S., * Wolfgang Scherzinger, Michael Held: ''Wilde Waldnatur: der Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald auf dem Weg zur Waldwildnis''. Nationalparkverwaltung Bayerischer Wald, Passau 2000, 43 S
Online verfügbar
* Karl Friedrich Sinner, Günter Moser: ''Waldwildnis grenzenlos. Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald''. Buch- und Kunstverlag Oberpfalz, Amberg 2006, 128 S., oder * Hubert Weinzierl, Hans Bibelriether, Georg Sperber: ''Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald''. Verlag Morsak, Grafenau, 1972, 184 S.,


Filmography

* ''Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald''. Dokumentarfilm, 45 Min., Deutschland, 1987, von Robert Anzeneder und Jens-Uwe Heins, Produktion: Komplett-Media-GmbH, Grünwald ()

des ''NDR'' * ''Natur erleben im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald'' – Neuer Film, der sich mit dem Ökosystem Wald beschäftigt, DVD, Informationen und Vorschau hier: http://www.nationalparkfilm.de


See also

* Bavarian Forest National Park in the natural region division: D 63
Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest The Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest (german: Oberpfälzisch-Bayerische Wald), (no. D63 or 40) is a natural region in Germany in the northeast of Bavaria. It mainly comprises the low mountain ranges of the Bavarian Forest and Upper Palatine Forest wh ...
, including 403 Hinterer Bayerischer Wald *
Bavarian Forest Club The Bavarian Forest Club (german: Bayerische Wald-Verein), or BWV, is a German club that promotes culture, local history and folklore, nature and landscape conservation, and walking in the Bavarian Forest. It has its head office in Zwiesel and is ...


References


External links


Website of the National Park Authority

Lynx project by the National Park Authority
* Landscape fact file by the
Bundesamt für Naturschutz The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government's ...

40300 Hinterer Bayerischer Wald
{{National parks in Germany National parks of Germany Bavarian Forest Regen (district) Freyung-Grafenau Protected areas established in 1970 1970 establishments in West Germany Bohemian Forest