Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park: Ten years full of natural wonders!

Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park: Ten years full of natural wonders!

The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in June 2025, is attracting a lot of attention. On this special weekend, the success of the park, which has existed since it opened at Pentecost 2015, will be honored with an extensive celebration program. The festivities begin at the Erbeskopf National Park Gate with guided tours and ranger programs designed to introduce interested visitors to the diverse nature. In addition to music and a market with regional specialties, there are also workshops that actively involve visitors.

The Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Alexander Schweitzer (SPD), praised the national park as a true success story. The park covers around 10,000 hectares, with 90% in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and 10% in Saarland. The creation of the national park was a joint project by both federal states. It not only protects old beech forests and moors, but also rare species and thus contributes to biological diversity in the region.

Special features and natural diversity

The landscape in the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park is remarkably diverse. It includes old beech trees, moors and species such as arnica and Nardus meadows. The environment has large differences in altitude and temperature, resulting in a unique ecosystem. One focus is on the park's motto: “Let nature be nature.” In large parts of nature, interventions are minimized in order to observe and research natural adaptation strategies.

The proportion of wilderness areas in the national park is currently 25%, although the goal of increasing to 75% wild nature by 2030 is already being specifically considered. The American Consul General compared the park to major national parks in North America in the context of its size, underscoring the area's international importance. In addition, the Environment Minister Katrin Eder highlighted the dynamic developments of nature in the park.

Financing and future prospects

Financial support for the national park from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is set at 17.7 million euros until 2024. There is 6.4 million euros in the financial plan for the years 2025 and 2026. This ensures that the national park can continue to fulfill its important functions to protect nature in the future.

The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, which offers the habitats of rare species such as the seven-star, the black stork and the wildcat, which is the heraldic animal of the park, is the youngest national park in Germany. With its upcoming celebrations at the national park gates in Erbeskopf and the Celtic Park in Nonnweiler-Otzenhausen, the park will not only attract local visitors but also tourists and create awareness of the threatened nature. Further information about the national park can be found on the websites of [Süddeutsche](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/umwelt-nationalpark-hunsrueck-hochwald- Feiert-erste-zwei-jahre-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-250607-930-641829) and Hunsrück Tourism.