Where nature is allowed to be nature again
The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park was established in March 2015 as the 16th German national park. Covering an area of 10,000 hectares in the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, the national park extends across the elevations of the Hunsrück upland. Here, nature is allowed to be wild again! This means that natural dynamics can develop undisturbed by human influences according to their own original rules and laws. National parks play an irreplaceable role for many endangered animals, plants and their habitats. Pristine forests and a species-rich flora and fauna complex characterise the landscape.
If you want to experience the national park, the three national park gates at Erbeskopf, Keltenpark and Wildenburg are good starting points. There are visitor centres with exhibitions at Erbeskopf and Keltenpark and a wildlife park at Wildenburg. If you would like to be accompanied on the trail, you can book tours with rangers or national park guides.
National Park Gate Erbeskopf
At the foot of the Erbeskopf, the highest mountain in Rhineland-Palatinate, exhibitions and hiking tours focus on forests and moors.
National Park Gate Wildenburg
The medieval Wildenburg lies in the middle of a landscape with small boulder fields, the so-called “Rosselhalden”. If you want to experience animals up close, visit its wildlife park.
National Park Gate Keltenpark
At this location, the Celtic history of the Hunsrück can be experienced and explored up close. Before or after the hike on the Celtic Ring, it is worth visiting the indoor exhibition on the Celts and the National Park.
„There are things in the woods that one could lie in the moss for years
and think about.“
– Franz Kafka (1883-1924)