Großes und Weißes Moor, Protected bog area in Rotenburg an der Wümme, Germany

Großes und Weißes Moor is a protected nature reserve near Rotenburg that spans several hundred hectares of bog landscape with ponds, forests, and wetland areas. The site is crossed by color-marked trails that lead visitors through varied terrain with pine stands, open water, and densely vegetated sections.

The core area was placed under protection in 1953 because bog landscapes represent rare habitats that needed to be preserved. Later expansions in 1975 and again in 2009 added more land to the reserve and increased its total protected area.

The reserve serves as a learning space where visitors experience rare wetland ecosystems and see how communities value nature protection. Information signs along the trails show which plants and animals live here and why these areas matter for the environment.

Since September 2010, several circular hiking trails run through the reserve, and an observation tower stands along one of them. Information pavilions along the routes explain the bog habitat, and a moor experience zone with an educational trail lies in the southeast. The ground is wet and uneven in places, so sturdy footwear helps.

The reserve's core around the Kolke has been protected since 15 September 1953, when it covered only about 22 hectares. The bog escaped large-scale peat cutting apart from a few hand-cut pits, which is why it ranks among the best-preserved raised bogs in northwest Germany.