Bavarian Forest National Park, National park in Bavaria, Germany
Bavarian Forest National Park runs along the main ridge of the Bavarian Forest on the Czech border, from the Großer Falkenstein (1,305 m) past the Großer Rachel (1,453 m) to the Lusen (1,373 m). It protects mountain mixed forests of silver fir, beech and spruce, high-altitude spruce forests, raised bogs with bog lakes such as the Latschensee, and former high meadows called Schachten. The park covers 24,945 hectares in the districts of Regen and Freyung-Grafenau.
The area received national park status on October 7, 1970, making it Germany's first protected natural landscape. This designation set standards for nature conservation and inspired additional protected areas across the country.
The park motto, adopted after a 1983 storm felled 30,000 cubic metres of timber, is "Natur Natur sein lassen" — let nature be nature. In the 1990s bark beetles were likewise left unchecked, killing high-elevation spruce stands; residents argued over the decision and citizens' groups formed for and against the park. Since 2024 the IUCN has certified the area as a category II protected area.
The park stretches along the main ridge from Bayerisch Eisenstein past the Großer Falkenstein and Großer Rachel to Mauth, with trailheads at places like Zwieslerwaldhaus, Waldhäuser and Neuschönau. The Großer Rachel reaches 1,453 m and the Lusen 1,373 m, so higher routes stay wintry longer. The park is open year-round; the two visitor centres, Hans-Eisenmann-Haus and Haus zur Wildnis, are the main orientation points.
Lynx were eradicated here around 1850; five to ten were released in the 1970s, followed by 17 more in Šumava a decade later. The population rose, then fell sharply between 1995 and 2008, possibly through illegal killing on both sides of the border. A pair of wolves was found in the park in 2016.
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