Engdener Wüste/ Heseper Moor, Nature reserve in Grafschaft Bentheim and Emsland, Germany
The Engdener Wüste Heseper Moor is a protected nature reserve featuring sand dunes, wetlands, coniferous forests, and mixed woodlands. It spans across four municipalities and offers diverse landscapes for visitors to explore.
The first nature reserve, Engdener Wüste, was designated on 16 April 1988. The current reserve, bearing the code NSG WE 188, has been protected since 21 December 2002 and absorbed the 1988 area. In 1999 the 795-hectare FFH site Heseper Moor, Engdener Wüste was designated, and in 2003 the EU bird sanctuary Engdener Wüste.
The reserve lies entirely inside the Nordhorn air-to-ground firing range, so public access is restricted and the heath and dunes persist largely undisturbed. Its name pairs Engdener Wüste, the sand heath on inland dunes in the west, with Heseper Moor, the adjoining moorland. Since 2003 it has also been the EU bird protection area "Engdener Wüste".
The reserve is accessible from multiple entry points across the four municipalities it covers. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and expect muddy conditions on moorland trails, especially after rain.
The reserve is home to populations of Crested Newts, a rare amphibian species. Eight distinct habitat types, including Northern Atlantic wet heaths, make it an important refuge for specialist species among plants and animals.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,642 contributors worldwide.
