The Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park (german: Naturpark Weserbergland Schaumburg-Hameln) lies on the northern edge of the German

Central Uplands The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (german: die MittelgebirgeN.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ...

where it transitions to the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balt ...

, about southwest of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

. The sponsor of the nature park, which was founded in 1975, is the state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. The park extends along the Weser valley between

Rinteln Rinteln () is a small town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the banks of the Weser river above the Porta Westfalica. The town of Rinteln is in the broad valley between the hills of the Weserbergland and the North Lippe Bergland. In rela ...

and Hamelin and includes parts of the Schaumburg Land, Calenberg,

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The ...

and Pyrmont Uplands from Bad Nenndorf in the north to Bad Pyrmont in the south,

Bückeburg Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...

and Bad Eilsen in the west and Bad Münder and Osterwald in the east. Its highest elevation is in the

Süntel The is a massif in the German Central Uplands that is up to . It forms part of the Weser Uplands in Lower Saxony southwest of Hanover and north of Hamelin. Geographical location The Süntel is the eastern extension of the Wesergebirge and ru ...

hills.

Location

Bordered in the north by the forested ridges of the

Bückeberg The Bückeberg (; also the Bückeberge) is a small hill range, up to high, in the Calenberg Uplands between the Harrl and the Deister in central Germany, and is often considered part of the Weser Uplands. It lies in the district of Schaumbur ...

and the

Deister The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi (25 km) southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next in the chai ...

, the nature park covers almost from the eastern

Weser Hills The Weser Hills (''Wesergebirge''), also known in German as the ''Weserkette'' ("Weser Chain"),"Ein anderes Bild als die Bergländer der oberen Weser bieten die ''Weserkette'', das ''Wiehengebirge'' und der ''Teutoburger Wald'', see Christian Deg ...

Harrl The Harrl is a high, wooded western outlier of the Bückeberg hill ridge in the Weser Uplands of central Germany. It is up to and lies in the Lower Saxon county of Schaumburg. Location and geology The Harrl runs through the Weser Uplands-S ...

and

running along both sides of the

River Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of B ...

southwards to the

Ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

ridge, the Osterwald and the Thüster Berg, through a very varied landscape of wooded, rolling hills and small valleys with a myriad streams and rivers. In the

, the

and on the Kanstein rocky crags tower over the countryside. A colourful mix of

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s and

protected landscape Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although t ...

s, towns, several spas and small villages and castles of the

Weser Renaissance Weser Renaissance is a form of Northern Renaissance architectural style that is found in the area around the River Weser in central Germany and which has been well preserved in the towns and cities of the region. Background Between the star ...

period mean that the nature park is a popular local recreation and holiday destination in the north German region.

Features

Architecture

Architectural sights in the area include the: *

buildings, like the castles of

Hämelschenburg Emmerthal is a municipality in the Hameln-Pyrmont district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Weser, approximatively 6 km south of Hameln. Its seat is in the village Kirchohsen. In 1973, the Emmerthal was formed by mer ...

and Schwöbber * Medieval market place in the former university town of

* Old town centres (''Altstädte'') of

of Hamelin * Diverse spa towns of Bad Eilsen, Bad Nenndorf, Bad Münder am Deister and Bad Pyrmont * Numerous

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

churches, abbeys, convents and town walls

Nature

Notable nature areas include the: * nature reserve of ''Hohenstein'' on the Süntel * nature reserve of ''Saubrink/Oberberg Forest'' * nature reserve of Weser Hills Crest (''Kamm des Wesergebirges'') * very rare, native

dwarf beech The dwarf beech, ''Fagus sylvatica'' Tortuosa Group, is a rare cultivar group of the European Beech with fewer than 1500 older specimens in Europe. It is also known as twisted beech or parasol beech. It is a wide-spreading tree with distinctive ...

es (''Süntelbuchen'') * Dripstone caves The most northerly examples of ''Hartstein'' rock in Germany occur in the Weser Uplands. As a result the landscapes and natural regions of the Weser hills are home to numerous quarries belonging to several companies that extract corallian and oolitic ''Hartstein''. These include the Messingsberg near Steinbergen, the Wülpker-Egge near Bückeburg and the Papenbrink near Kleinenbremen in the Weser Hills; as well as the Riesenberg near Langenfeld/Hessisch-Oldendorf and the Mattenberg near Hamelspringe in the Süntel. Schaumburg citizens have founded the Friends of the Weser Uplands and Schaumburg Action Group (''Aktionsgemeinschaft Weserbergland - Schaumburger Freunde'') to protest the "destruction of the landscape" by the quarry companies.

Leisure activities

* The amusement park ''Rasti-Land'' * Open-air and indoor swimming pools, swimming lakes * Golf course * Cycle and footpaths through hills and valleys along the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

* Boat trips on the Weser * Winter sports on the higher hills * Rock climbing * Show caves and mining galleries * Sommerrodelbahn in

Bodenwerder The ''Münchhausenstadt'' Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser and is best known as the birthplace and residence of Baron von Münchhausen. Geography Bodenwerder is located in ...

External links