The Bergstraße-Odenwald Nature Park (german: Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald) is a

nature park A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...

in southern

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 betwee ...

with an area of 3,500 km² that lies between the rivers

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

Main (river) The Main () is the longest tributary of the Rhine. It rises as the White Main in the Fichtel Mountains of northeastern Bavaria and flows west through central Germany for to meet the Rhine below Rüsselsheim, Hesse. The cities of Mainz and Wie ...

and

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwen ...

. In the south it overlaps in places with the Neckar Valley-Odenwald Nature Park on the territory of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. In the east it meets the Bavarian Spessart Nature Park at the River Main. The nature park covers parts of the states of Baden-Württemberg,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

and

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...

Sights

Messel Pit The Messel pit (german: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved ...

, *

Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (german: Reichsabtei Lorsch; la, Laureshamense Monasterium or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms. It was one of the most renowned monasteries ...

, * Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue,

Stockstadt am Rhein Stockstadt am Rhein is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the southern edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. Geography Location Stockstadt lies in the Rhine rift right on the Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue EU reserve. ...

* Odenwald Limes *

Felsenmeer A blockfieldWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, pp. 66 and 190. . (also spelt block fieldLeser, Hartmut, ed. (2005). ''Wörterbuch Allgemeine Geographie'', 13th ed., dtv, Munich, pp. 107 and 221. ...

near Reichenbach, Lautertal (Odenwald) * Obrunn Gorge between Höchst im Odenwald and Rimhorn *

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

and

Heidelberg Castle Heidelberg Castle (german: Heidelberger Schloss) is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demoli ...

* Lösswand von Haarlass in

, the first scientific description of which by

Karl Cäsar von Leonhard Karl Cäsar von Leonhard (12 September 1779 in Rumpenheim – 23 January 1862 in Heidelberg) was a German mineralogist and geologist. His son, Gustav von Leonhard, was also a mineralogist. From 1797 he studied at the universities of Marburg and ...

in 1824 led to the introduction of the term

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeoli ...

Katzenbuckel The Katzenbuckel (626 metres) is an extinct volcano and the highest elevation in the Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located ...

– at 626 metres, the highest point in the Odenwald * Odenwald Open Air Museum in Walldürn- Gottersdorf * Eberstadt Stalactite Cave near

Buchen (Odenwald) Buchen ( South Franconian: ''Buche'') is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated in the Odenwald low mountain range, 23 km northeast of the regional center Mosbach. Geography Buchen is situated on the seam between th ...

* Bergstraße Nature Conservation Centre near

Bensheim Bensheim () is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hessen, Germany. Bensheim lies on the Bergstraße and at the edge of the Odenwald mountains while at the same time having an open view over the Rhine plain. With about 40,000 inhabita ...

* Marie in der Kohlbach Pit, a visitor mine, near Hohensachsen * Anna Elisabeth Pit, another visitor mine, near

Schriesheim Schriesheim (South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. Geography Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western edge ...

Gallery

References

External links

Official website of the nature park

Location and extent within Bavaria (OpenStreetMap)
{{Authority control Geoparks in Germany Nature parks in Baden-Württemberg Nature parks in Bavaria Nature parks in Hesse Odenwald Franconia

Sights

Gallery

See also

References

External links