Bavarian Rhön Nature Park
Encyclopedia
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
,
Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. 70 km² of the total 125 km² area of 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....
has been recognised by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve
Rhön Biosphere Reserve
The Rhön Biosphere Reserve includes the entire central area of the Rhön Mountains, a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia.- Aim :In 1991 the Rhön was recognised at international level by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve...
.
The organisation for the promotion of the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park (Zweckverband Naturpark Bayerische Rhön) was founded in 1967. On 26 November 1982 the regulation for the Naturpark Bayerische Rhön was issued and, in 1997, the Zweckverband became the Society for the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park and Biosphere Reserve (Naturpark und Biosphärenreservat Bayer. Rhön e.V.).
Landscape
The nature park lies between the SpessartSpessart
The Spessart is a low mountain range in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. It is bordered on three sides by the Main River. The two most important towns located at the foot of the Spessart are Aschaffenburg and Würzburg....
, Vogelsberg Mountains
Vogelsberg Mountains
The Vogelsberg Mountains are a group duct of ancient volcanic activity and are separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda River and its valley....
, Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
, Haßberge
Haßberge
Haßberge is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Coburg, Bamberg, Schweinfurt and Rhön-Grabfeld, and by the state of Thuringia .-History:...
and Steigerwald forest. It is characterised by mixed forests, streams of flowing water, moor
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
s, grassland and arid habitats.