Palatinate Forest Nature Park
Encyclopedia
The Palatinate Forest Nature Park lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate
in Germany
and borders on France
. The nature park
covers an area of 177100 hectares (683.8 sq mi) and some 76 % of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous forest region in Germany. Together with a part of northern Alsace
it forms the Palatinate Forest-Vosges du Nord Biosphere Reserve and has an impressive Bunter sandstone landscape.
The park is the responsibility of the Naturpark Pfälzerwald e.V. founded on 20 July 1982. The members of the organisation are those districts and towns on whose territory the nature park is located as well as the Palatinate Regional Association and numerous sports clubs and environmental groups. Many business are involved in the work of the nature park which enables the independence of individual functional and regional interests to be guaranteed. The aim of the organisation is to develop in a coherent way the nature park and the biosphere reserve of the same name and to look after and preserve its uniqueness and beauty as well as its pan-regional value as a recreation area. The headquarters of the park association has been based seit in Lambrecht since 1997.
It also includes the former landscape conservation area of the German Wine Road, which runs from the eastern edge of the nature park to the Rhine plain
.
Based on the current state regulations dated 22 January 2007 the nature park has 16 core zones, which are under special protection:
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and borders on France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The nature park
Nature park
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic purposes....
covers an area of 177100 hectares (683.8 sq mi) and some 76 % of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous forest region in Germany. Together with a part of northern Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
it forms the Palatinate Forest-Vosges du Nord Biosphere Reserve and has an impressive Bunter sandstone landscape.
The park is the responsibility of the Naturpark Pfälzerwald e.V. founded on 20 July 1982. The members of the organisation are those districts and towns on whose territory the nature park is located as well as the Palatinate Regional Association and numerous sports clubs and environmental groups. Many business are involved in the work of the nature park which enables the independence of individual functional and regional interests to be guaranteed. The aim of the organisation is to develop in a coherent way the nature park and the biosphere reserve of the same name and to look after and preserve its uniqueness and beauty as well as its pan-regional value as a recreation area. The headquarters of the park association has been based seit in Lambrecht since 1997.
Regions
The Palatinate Forest Nature Park is divided into 3 regions based on their landscape:- the Northern Palatinate Forest, bordered in the north by the North Palatine Uplands and extending southwards as far as the line from KaiserslauternKaiserslauternKaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
to Bad DürkheimBad DürkheimBad Dürkheim is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :... - the Middle Palatinate Forest, from the Kaiserslautern - Bad Dürkheim line to QueichQueichThe Queich is a tributary of the Rhine, which rises in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest, and flows through the Upper Rhine valley to its confluence with the Rhine in Germersheim. It is 52 km long and is one of the four major drainage systems of the Palatinate Forest along with the...
and the line from PirmasensPirmasensPirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
to Landau - the Southern Palatinate Forest, the so-called Wasgau, which extends from the Queich and a line from Pirmasens to Landau to the FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
border in the south.
It also includes the former landscape conservation area of the German Wine Road, which runs from the eastern edge of the nature park to the Rhine plain
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben is a major rift, straddling the border between France and Germany. It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System, which extends across central Europe...
.
Core zones
- Adelsberg near Fischbach bei DahnFischbach bei DahnFischbach bei Dahn is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, (ca. 191 ha), - Rohrweier near LudwigswinkelLudwigswinkelLudwigswinkel is a municipality in the district of Südwestpfalz of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, very close to the French border. The nearest large town is Pirmasens....
, (ca. 22 ha), - Stabenberg near Neustadt an der WeinstraßeNeustadt an der WeinstraßeNeustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
, (ca. 227 ha), - Bobenthaler Knopf near BobenthalBobenthalBobenthal is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, (ca. 319 ha), - Eischkopf near EußerthalEußerthalEußerthal is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, (ca. 58 ha), - Enkenbachtal near ElmsteinElmsteinElmstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :Elmstein lies in the Palatinate Forest...
, (ca. 235 ha), - Eulenhald near WaldleiningenWaldleiningenWaldleiningen is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, (ca. 19 ha), - Großer Berg near Waldleiningen, (ca. 73 ha),
- Haidbrunnen near Waldleiningen, (ca. 4 ha),
- Hohe Halde near EppenbrunnEppenbrunnEppenbrunn is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, (ca. 54 ha), - Humberg near KaiserslauternKaiserslauternKaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
, (ca. 77 ha), - Hundsberg near HeltersbergHeltersbergHeltersberg is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, (ca. 81 ha), - Leiterberger Platte near Waldleiningen, (ca. 18 ha),
- Mittlerer Gleisberg near EsthalEsthalEsthal is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The municipality lies on a plateau in the Palatinate Forest...
, (ca. 37 ha), - Mümmelsköpfe near Ludwigswinkel, (ca. 51 ha),
- Quellgebiet der Wieslauter, (ca. 2400 ha).
See also
- Palatinate Forest
- German Wine Road
- Palatinate
- List of nature parks in Germany