Ten years of Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park: anniversary celebration enthusiastic!

Ten years of Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park: anniversary celebration enthusiastic!

The tenth anniversary of the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park was celebrated on Whit Sunday. The celebrations took place at the Keltenpark National Park Gate in Otzenhausen in the St. Wendel district. The park has an impressive area of ​​around 10,000 hectares and is the youngest of a total of 16 national parks in Germany as well as the first cross-border national park that partially extends into Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, with 90% of the area in Rhineland-Palatinate and 10% in the Saarland communities of Nonnweiler and Nohfelden.

The region enjoys a high level of acceptance for the national park, which brings with it several advantages for the local community. Mayor Franz Josef Barth emphasized how important the national park is for Nonnweiler and would like additional facilities such as a children's playground and a studio to increase the attractiveness of the area.

The goals of the national park

A central goal of the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park is to preserve 75% wild nature by 2045. This is in line with the vision of creating a protected space where nature can thrive undisturbed by human influences. The efforts to protect the park can also be traced back to the earlier destruction of the beech forests, which were largely cleared between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Interestingly, modern laser scanning reveals 1,800 sites of former coal piles in the national park's soil, indicating a deep history of the area. The park is not only a historical but also a biological treasure trove, as it is considered a biodiversity hotspot and provides habitat for many rare species. Typical jungle species include the hermit and the hermit buck, while cave-nesting animals such as the great spotted woodpecker and tawny owl rely on the dead wood.

Visitor numbers and infrastructure

In 2021, the national park was visited by between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors. A survey showed that many visitors are willing to travel up to an hour and a half to enjoy nature. While the natural area is largely rated positively, there is criticism of the gastronomic offerings, which Mayor Barth also noted.

Currently, the national park's infrastructure includes 100 access points and 18 counting gates, allowing visitors to experience the beauty of nature. Nevertheless, the infrastructure in the Hunsrück-Hochwald is still under construction, which requires the development of a sustainable mobility concept. At a time when nature tourism can boom, it is important to develop the right marketing strategies to reap the benefits of such a unique area for the local economy.

The anniversary celebration included numerous activities such as guided tours with rangers, musical performances and a market with specialties from the Hunsrück region. Workshops and lectures rounded off the festival program and offered visitors exciting insights into the world of the national park.

The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, opened at Pentecost 2015, is not only a retreat for nature and biodiversity, but also an important factor for the local community and regional tourism. The future of the park will depend crucially on how successfully the structural and institutional challenges are overcome in order to meet both the needs of nature and those of visitors.

For further information about the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park read here: Saarbrücken newspaper and BUND Rhineland-Palatinate.