Germany pays great attention to preserving the diversity of flora and fauna by designating large areas to areas with limited economic activity. A variety of landscape and nature reserves, according to some estimates, cover about one million hectares.
The Berchtesgaden Alpine National Park is a prime example of nature preservation. People come here to breathe in the mountain air, take a hike or a bike ride on one of the many trails, conquer an impregnable peak, go boating on the lake-fjord, listen to rare birds sing and take a break from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Clean lake water, suitable for drinking, is considered the park's calling card, and the administration has proclaimed the motto: Let nature remain nature.
Features of the landscape, climate and inhabitants of the park
Berchtesgaden is located in the Ramsau-Berchtesgaden and Schenau am Königssee communal lands in the south-western Bavarian Alps, in the Wachsmann Massif: It borders Austria on three sides and covers 210 square meters . km. It is difficult to assign it to any type of terrain - the amplitude of the heights is about 2100 m, but Berchtesgaden is named the highest alpine biological reserve in Germany in the UNESCO lists. There are plenty of lakes and mixed forests, alpine meadows on high plateaus, rocky cliffs and mountain peaks, including the 2 northernmost glaciers in the Alps. The reserve holds records for sub-zero temperatures in Germany.
During the walk you can meet grazing deer and chamois, watch the life of salamanders, and if you are lucky, follow the flight of a golden eagle or the flow of a wood grouse. The park has special recreational trails for visitors.
History of Berchtesgaden and the main places
The first settlements in what is now Ramsau-Berchtesgaden appeared at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. A good climate, vast pastures and abundant salt deposits quickly turned this place into a prosperous land. With the lapse of time, recreation became fashionable: aristocrats came here to improve their health, a summer royal residence appeared, hunting was organized, and the forest was cut down for construction. To protect the wonderful land from destruction, it was decided to create here a protected area, which each year added new territories and finally took shape in 2010.
The most interesting places in the Berchtesgaden National Park:
- Glacial Lake Königsee (Royal Lake)
- Viewpoint "Artist's Corner
- St. Bartholomew Church
- Church of St. Sebastian in Ramsau
- Museum of the Third Reich in Obersalzberg
- Glacier on the eastern slope
- Marxhellenberg ice chapel
- Eagle's Nest tea house on Mount Kelstein
- Viewpoints on the rocks Archenkansel and Moslanerkopf
- The salt mine and craftsmen's workshops in Berchtesgaden.
A magnificent panorama of the park and its surroundings can be seen from the height of the cable car, which takes everyone up to 1800 meters.
All Weather Excursion
Berchtesgaden National Park has prepared many permanent and seasonal exhibitions, a thematic library, films and interactive rooms for visitors to learn about the history of the reserve, explore the habits of wildlife and understand the rules of optimal coexistence between man and nature. Visitors are especially noted for the tourist exposition deployed on an area of almost 1,000 square meters. The virtual route with a detailed audio guide begins at the bottom of Lake Königsee, passes through water areas, meadows, cliffs and ends at the top of the Berchtesgaden Alps with a 12-minute movie projected on the walls of the cave. Depending on the season, each tour uses its own set of light and sound settings.
