The Veldenstein Forest (german: Veldensteiner Forst) lies in the east of the

Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz-Veldensteiner Forst) is a nature park in North Bavaria. The nature park was established in 1995 and it covers an area that is almost coextensive with the n ...

between the towns of Pegnitz and

Plech Plech is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth 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, and th ...

Damhirsche Wildgehege Veldensteiner Forst

Its name is derived from Veldenstein Castle, a large, well preserved, medieval fortification above

Neuhaus an der Pegnitz Neuhaus an der Pegnitz is a municipality in the district of Nürnberger Land 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 Europ ...

. The Veldenstein Forest, with its extensive pine and spruce woods has an area of around 70 km² and is one of the largest contiguous areas of forest in Bavaria. A large part of the Veldenstein Forest lies on the territory of the district of

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

and forms the fourth largest

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Bavaria (55.60 km²).

Sights

A particular attraction in the Veldenstein Forest is the wildlife park. In the east the

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 ...

of ''Pegnitzau zwischen Ranna und Michelfeld'' borders immediately on the forest. The forest also has numerous

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s and dolines, some of which are classified as

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

s or

geotope A geotope is the geological component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope. Example geotopes might be an exposed outcrop of rocks, an erratic boulder, a grotto or ravine, a cave, an old stone wall marking a property boundary, and so forth. ...

References

Literature

* Stephan Lang: ''Höhlen in Franken - Ein Wanderführer in die Unterwelt der Hersbrucker Schweiz und des Oberpfälzer Jura''. Verlag Hans Carl, Nuremberg, 2006, , pp. 36–38.

External links

Großer Lochstein at Bayerischen Landesamt für Umwelt
{{authority control Zoos in Germany Forests and woodlands of Bavaria Bayreuth (district) Wildlife parks Unincorporated areas of Germany