In previous months, we have already explored a large part of the geschützte Schönheit (protected beauty) of German nature. We went to the windige Küsten (windy shores) of the Wattenmeer, the eindrucksvolle Felsen (impressive rocks) of the Sächsische Schweiz, the Jahrhunderte alten Wälder (centuries old forests) of the Bayerischer Wald, the Erzminen (ore mines) in the Harz, the Tiger (tigers) roaming around in the Eifel, the Tausend Seen (thousand lakes) of Müritz, the hohe Gebirge (high mountain ranges) of Berchtesgaden, and the atemberaubende Natur (stunning nature) of the Schwarzwald. We discovered the bedrohten Kreidefelsen (threatened chalk cliffs) of Jasmund. Last time, we visited Hainich, and its Alte Buchen (old beeches).
Moving to the next park, not far from Hainich, is Kellerwald-Edersee.
The National Parks in Germany (Image by Lencer at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY SA 3.0)
On January 1, 2004 the Buchenwälder (beech forests) south of the Edersee became officially a Nationalpark, and was opened on May 25 of the same year. Much like park Hainich that we discussed last time, this park was primarily founded to protect the old Buchenwälder found here.
The name Kellerwald-Edersee comes from the two parts that the Nationalpark encompasses. There is the Kellerwald (“Cellar Forest”), which includes the ancient Buchenwälder the park seeks to protect. And there is the Edersee, a lake right above the park. It is not included in the Nationalpark, but is still an important Point of Interest, and so it is included in the name.
The Nationalpark is also part of the larger Naturpark Kellerwald-Edersee (Nature Park Kellerwald-Edersee).
What is special about the Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee?
Der Buchenwald
Buchenwald in Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee (Image by Willow at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY SA 2.5)
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee serves primarily to protect its Buchenwald (beech forest). Just like the parks Hainich and Jasmund, the forest in Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee is under the same UNESCO Weltnaturerbe (World Heritage – Natural Site). These old beech forests are extremely rare nowadays, and the Nationalparks allow them to develop again in the way they did thousands of years ago. Predominantly, it is the Rotbuche (European beech) that grows in park Kellerwald-Edersee.
Der Edersee
The Staumauer (dam wall) at the Edersee. (Image by Dirk Schmidt at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY SA 3.0)
Even though it is slightly outside of the park, the Edersee is still definitely worth a visit and should be mentioned. It has an impressive Staudamm (dam) with an interesting history and boat tours on the lake. There is also another Baumkronenpfad (treetop walkway), which we have also seen in other Nationalparks. You cannot really miss out on the Edersee while visiting the Nationalpark!
Would you like to visit? Any comments, questions, remarks? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me a message on Facebook by clicking on the button below!
