The Northern Vosges Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord'') is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

of woodland,

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

, farmland and historical sites in the

Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in northeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The area was officially designated as a

regional natural park A regional nature park or regional natural park ( or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the Cabinet of France, French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty in order to protec ...

in 1976. At its inauguration, the park covered , but it has since grown to . The rich natural landscape has been added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

list of international

biosphere reserves Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

. Northern Vosges PNR does not include any of the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

but rather the foothills just north of them. Despite its name, no part of it lies in the department of

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

but rather it spans two other departments,

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

and

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

Gallery

File:20070517-20 Vosges du Nord (098).JPG, Landscape. Deciduous trees in a mix with conifer. File:Vosges du Nord-Végétation (1).jpg, Early spring File:Forêt dans tourbière à Baerenthal 57230 Moselle - France.jpg, Wooded bogland (alder trees) Château de La Petite-Pierre (2).JPG, Château de La Petite-Pierre, the ''maison du Parc''

Member communes

The following communes are members of Northern Vosges PNR: In Bas-Rhin: * Adamswiller * Asswiller *

Butten Butten (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants of Butten are called ''Buttenois, Buttenoises'' in French.Cleebourg * Climbach * Dambach * Dehlingen * Diemeringen * Domfessel * Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel * Drachenbronn-Birlenbach * Durstel * Eckartswiller * Erckartswiller * Ernolsheim-lès-Saverne * Eschbourg * Frœschwiller * Frohmuhl * Gœrsdorf * Hinsbourg * Hunspach * Ingolsheim * Ingwiller * Keffenach * Kutzenhausen * La Petite-Pierre * Lampertsloch * Langensoultzbach * Lembach *

Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to: Places * Lichtenberg, Austria * Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France * Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany * Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany * Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany * Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany * Lichte ...

* Lobsann * Lohr * Lorentzen * Memmelshoffen * Merkwiller-Pechelbronn * Morsbronn-les-Bains *

Neuwiller-lès-Saverne Neuwiller-lès-Saverne (, literally ''Neuwiller near Saverne''; ; ) is a commune located in the historic and cultural region of Alsace and the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park in northeastern France. Neuwiller-lès-Saverne is within the B ...

* Niederbronn-les-Bains * Niedersteinbach * Oberbronn * Obersteinbach * Offwiller * Ottwiller *

Petersbach Petersbach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Peteresbach is within the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord'') that lies in the northern foothills ...

* Pfalzweyer * Preuschdorf *

Puberg Puberg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes cooperate i ...

* Ratzwiller * Reichshoffen * Reipertswiller * Retschwiller *

Rosteig Rosteig () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes coopera ...

* Rothbach * Rott *

Saint-Jean-Saverne Saint-Jean-Saverne (; ; Alsatian: ''Sànt Johànn'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, ...

* Schœnbourg * Soultz-sous-Forêts * Sparsbach *

Struth Struth is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department References

Communes of Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin communes articl ...

Tieffenbach Tieffenbach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes cooper ...

Volksberg Volksberg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The village is part of the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 co ...

* Waldhambach *

Weinbourg Weinbourg () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The c ...

Weislingen Weislingen () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The ...

* Weiterswiller * Wimmenau * Windstein * Wingen * Wingen-sur-Moder *

Wissembourg Wissembourg (; South Franconian: ''Weisseburch'' ; German: ''Weißenburg'' ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Wissembourg was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. The name ''Wissembourg'' ...

* Wœrth * Zinswiller * Zittersheim In Moselle: * Baerenthal *

Bitche Bitche (English pronunciation: , ; German and Lorraine Franconian: ) is a commune in Moselle department, in the region of Grand Est in northeastern France. It is the Pays de Bitche's capital city, and the seat of the Canton of Bitche and the ...

* Bousseviller * Breidenbach * Éguelshardt * Enchenberg * Epping * Erching * Goetzenbruck * Hanviller * Haspelschiedt * Hottviller * Lambach *

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

* Lengelsheim * Liederschiedt * Loutzviller * Meisenthal * Montbronn * Mouterhouse * Nousseviller-lès-Bitche * Obergailbach * Ormersviller * Phalsbourg * Philippsbourg * Rahling * Reyersviller * Rimling * Rolbing * Roppeviller *

Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche (, literally ''St. Louis near Bitche''; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Minzdal'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. The village belongs to the Pays de B ...

* Schorbach * Schweyen * Siersthal * Soucht * Sturzelbronn * Volmunster * Waldhouse * Walschbronn

References

External links

Official park website
{{Authority control Regional natural parks of France Geography of Bas-Rhin Geography of Moselle (department) Protected areas established in 1976 Tourist attractions in Bas-Rhin Tourist attractions in Moselle (department)