Nationalparkverwaltung
Doktorberg 6
83471 Berchtesgaden, Germany
Tel.: +49 / 86 52 / 9686-0
Fax: +49 / 86 52 / 9686-40
Email: poststelle[at]npv-bgd.bayern.de
Nationalpark-Haus
Franziskanerplatz 7
83471 Berchtesgaden
Tel.: +49 / 86 52 / 64 34 3
Fax: +49 / 86 52 / 69434
Email: contact form
Nationalpark-Informationsstelle Hintersee
Am Beginn des Hirschbichltales
83486 Ramsau, Hintersee
Tel.: +49 / 86 57 / 1431
Fax: +49 / 86 57 / 985935
Berchtesgaden National Park is not a “park” with a fence and a gate, for which an admission fee is levied. Neither do the information centers charge an entrance fee, nor do most of the guided hikes in the hiking program cost anything. Guided hikes for groups, as well as tours, entail a small participation fee. The following links will give you additional information (in German) on hiking programs, guiding for school groups and theme tours.
The Biosphere Reserve was set up in 1990. Berchtesgaden National Park is the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve and the fore-field is the so-called development zone. These two comprise a projecting landscape cutout of the Bavarian Alps. Within the National Park, protection and conservation are the central themes, whereas preservation and development of the cultivated landscapes mark the aims within the fore-field. Additional information: “Biosphere Reserve”
The road leading through Klausbachtal (Klausbach Valley) is open to local public transportation. The so-called Hirschbichl – Wanderbus (number 847) runs from May through October. Starting at the Hintersee Information Point (bus stop: Hirschbichl Auzinger Abzw.) it follows the Klausbach Valley all the way to the border crossing into Austria. From there on, the Austrian post buses continue the service. Departure times and starting points of the National Park’s hiking programs correspond, for the most part, to the local transportation schedule. For the environment’s sake, try to leave your car at home.
For years, wide-ranging collaboration has existed on many levels between Berchtesgaden National Park and the local tourism promotion agencies such as Berchtesgadener Land Tourismus GmbH (BGLT) or the Berchtesgaden-Königssee Tourism Administration Union. Themes of this cooperation include the choice of hiking programs and their publication, as well as projects with German Rail and BGLT within the framework of “nature as a destination”. Close teamwork regarding facilities in or near the National Park takes place with the so-called “Five for Fun” partnership of the Jennerbahn cable-car, the Kehlsteinhaus, the boat service on Lake Königssee, the salt mines and the Watzmann Therme spa. Further close cooperation exists between the Park administration and those who run mountain huts and inns within the National Park. Within the framework of a current project, the aim is to increase a regular exchange of information between the National Park administration and the hut concessionaires. This is to be implemented through information material and games, as well as thanks to regular visits to the huts by National Park administrative staff. In addition, Berchtesgaden National Park has a seat in the special advisory board of the Berchtesgadener Land Tourismus GmbH and is a voting member of the tourism board. The annual meeting on the topic of recreational facilities in the National Park offers a regularly scheduled chance to exchange ideas with representatives of the townships, alpine association sectors, mountain rescue associations, the armed forces, etc.
The National Park administration is often presented with the subject of conflicting usage. The main area of tension lies between the basic principles of nature protection (i.e. “allowing nature to remain nature”) on the one hand and active utilization of a nature protection area on the other. Of course humans are not to be basically “locked out”, but rather “invited” to enjoy the National Park’s unique natural splendor. Traditional uses such as cattle grazing and a working fishery are to continue to exist in the National Park’s development zone (see also “Zoning”). Conflicting usage can be avoided or, at least, improved through cooperation, as well as by the creation of certain regulations that should be respected by all. The National Park Plan takes the individual usage types into consideration, i.e. tourism, recreation, sports activities and sports events, armed forces and agriculture. It is also developing a plan of measures to be taken for the next 10 years.
As Germany’s sole alpine National Park, Berchtesgaden National Park plays a particular role: on the one hand through EUROPARC Deutschland e.V. it is integrated into the network of Germany’s national parks and large protected areas. It maintains a particularly close cooperation with Bavaria’s second national park, Bayerischer Wald National Park. On the other hand Berchtesgaden National Park lies within the alpine region and is, therefore, closely connected to the other national parks located in the Alps. The connecting infrastructure here is the Network of Alpine Protected Areas.
In former times the red deer would leave the mountain forests at winter’s onset and find its nourishment in the alluvial forests of the alpine foothills where snow is less abundant. Today, settlements and roads hinder this migration. If the deer were to spend the winter in the National Park, they would inflict excessive browse damage to trees as a result of the lack of available food. For this reason, the red deer is fed in a 45 ha winter preserve and let out in the spring when it can return to higher elevations. Detailed information can be found under "Wild-/ Waldmanagement".
Although Berchtesgaden National Park’s foremost precept is to “let nature remain nature”, hunting still continues in the Park’s central area. This is not carried out for lucrative purposes, nor for trophy hunting, but rather because a regulation of the game population is indispensable. Due to the following reasons it is essential to maintain a justifiable number of animals in their habitat: - The natural enemies of red deer, roe-deer and chamois, such as the lynx or the bear, have become extinct. - Excessively large game population leads to heavy browse damage to young trees, especially in the winter months. - The animals’ habitat is no longer in a natural state. Cuts made by roads, for instance, prohibit the red deer from migrating to the warmer valley meadows. This leads to a drastic increase of damage to young trees by browsing.
Each year, Berchtesgaden National Park uses the assistance of between 10 and 15 student apprentices in various projects. To find out if a position is available and if a particular project might awake your interest click on "Career".
There are no towns or permanent settlements in the National Park. Spending the night, however, is possible in several chalets and huts, mainly in dormitories and there are numerous places offering refreshments, as well. Camping or bivouacking is prohibited in Berchtesgaden National Park. List of huts and inns in the National Park
A national park’s top aim is to protect nature. In order to achieve this goal, we need your help and kindly request that you refrain from the following: Please also be aware of the special conditions in wintertime. This is a difficult time of year for wild animals which need rest and quiet. When on a ski randonnée or snowshoe tour, please keep to the designated routes or trails, do not circulate in large groups, avoid being in the Park at dawn or dusk and please follow the National Park directives regarding backcountry skiing.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact number of visitors. A 2003 study (Job, H., Metzler, D., Vogt, L.: „Inwertsetzung alpiner Nationalparks - Eine regionalwirtschaftliche Analyse des Tourismus im Alpenpark Berchtesgaden“, Münchener Studien zur Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeographie, Band 43) suggests a figure of 1.2 million visitors per year. This number is based on the statistics of the Jenner cable-car, the Königssee passenger boat traffic, parking lot users, etc. For several years now, the National Park’s environmental education activities have been statistically recorded and are available for downloading. Presently there is on ongoing study led by Dr. Sabine Hennig and aimed at collecting visitor number data and called EuRegionales Erholungsgebiet (Euro Regional Recreation Area). It should lead to the first findings soon. additional information on the project
The National Park Information Points are open from 9:00 to 17:00 (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.). The Nationalpark-Haus, as well as the Information Points at Hintersee and at Wimbachbrücke are open daily all year round. The Information Points at St. Bartholomew, Kühroint and Engert are closed from October till May. The National Park administration offices are open to the public from 8:30 till 12:00 and by appointment.
Location: In the southeast of Bavaria near the Austrian border Founded: August 1st, 1978 Surface: 210 km² Type of landscape: High mountains; difference in elevation of 2110 m (Königssee 603 m ASL, Watzmann 2713 m ASL) Aims: Protection of nature in its entirety, research, environmental education, recreation. Staff: about 70 IUCN-Category: II Proportion of core area to the total surface: 66,6 % Proportion of permanent development zones to the total surface: 23,5 % Proportion of temporary development zones to the total surface: 9,9 %. Special feature: The Park represents the core zone and the development zone of the Berchtesgaden Biosphere Reserve
The so-called protected areas can be categorized according to size and protection priority. The higher the status, the stricter the nature protection outline: Category Protection Status Size National Park high approx. 10 000 - 50 000 ha Nature Protection Area high approx. 50 - 150 ha Biosphere Reserve medium approx. 50 000 - 150 000 ha Natural Monument medium < 5 ha or by object (i.e. a single tree) Nature Park low > 100 000 ha Protected Landscape Element low < 5 ha or by object (i.e. a single tree)
Numerous research projects and scores of publications have examined the subject of public approval of national parks in general and of Berchtesgaden National Park in particular. The following German language publications are just a few among them and can be found either at the National Park’s library or, in some cases, can be ordered from book stores. Arnold, M., Paulussen, S., Schmidt, R., GWMC-Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH: Entwicklung standardisierter Methoden zur Analyse der Besucher von Großschutzgebieten sowie zur Bewertung der Akzeptanz und zur wirtschaftlichen Bedeutung der Schutzgebiete für die Schutzgebietsregion,1995. Bühner, C.: Ranger im Nationalpark Berchtesgaden - ein Konzept für mehr Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, 1999. Dannath, S.: Die Entstehung er deutschen Nationalparks und die Probleme er regionalen und internationalen Anerkennung am Beispiel des Nationalparks Berchtesgaden,1995 Föderation der Natur- und Nationalparke Europas Sektion Deutschland e.V. - FÖNAD, Hrsg., GWMC-Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH, Paulussen, S., Schmidt, R.: Wahrnehmung, Image und Akzeptanz von national bedeutenden Natur- und Kulturlandschaften - Handbuch zur Durchführung von Befragungen zur Ermittlung der Akzeptanz von Großschutzgebieten,1997. Grünwald, I.: Besucherforschung und Ausstellungsevaluation Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, Nationalpark-Haus Berchtesgaden und Informationsstelle Holzstube St. Bartholomä. Projektbericht Profi-Projekt BG2, 2002. Job, H.: Großschutzgebiete und ihre Akzeptanz bei Einheimischen - Das Beispiel der Nationalparke im Harz, 1996. Job, H., Metzler, D., Vogt, L.: Inwertsetzung alpiner Nationalparks - Eine regionalwirtschaftliche Analyse des Tourismus im Alpenpark Berchtesgaden, 2003. Karameris, A.: Analyse und Prognose der Erholungsnachfrage im Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, 1981. Krieger, C.: Der Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft und seine gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz,1998. Litzka, F.: Der Nationalpark Berchtesgaden - Zur Akzeptanz von Wildnis in der Kulturlandschaft Mitteleuropas- 2000 Nethe, M.: Biosphärenreservat Allgäuer/Lechtaler Alpen - Eine Untersuchung zur Akzeptanz eines geplanten Schutzgebiets, 1995. Rentsch, G., Kuhn, W., Heinritz, C.: Die Akzeptanz und Ablehnung des Nationalparks Berchtesgaden durch die lokale Bevölkerung,1990. Scheiter, C.: Der Nationalpark Berchtesgaden im Spiegel der lokalen Printmedien. Eine inhaltsanalytische Untersuchung am Beispiel der Berichterstattung des Berchtesgadener Anzeigers. Diplomarbeit, 2002. Sebold, J.: Die Bedeutung des ersten Alpennationalparks Berchtesgaden für die Gäste des Berchtesgadener Landes, 1991 Stoll, S.: Akzeptanzprobleme bei der Ausweisung von Großschutzgebieten - Ursachenanalyse und Ansätze zu Handlungsstrategien, 1999. Urban, M.: Der erholungssuchende und naturinteressierte Besucher in deutschen Nationalparken - aufgezeigt an den Beispielen Bayrischer Wald, Berchtesgaden und Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer, 1998.
The motto “let nature remain nature” is every national park’s leitmotif. Former usage of the forest led to an unnatural reforestation solely with spruce. Certain measures - within a limited time frame – are aimed at helping support the forest’s own natural development and its return to a mixed mountain forest consisting of spruce, fir, beech and sycamore maple. In higher elevations, larch is encouraged. back to heading Services for Schools Berchtesgaden National Park offers an extensive program of guided walks and excursions for school groups, youth groups and kindergartens. programs
Outdoor sports such as climbing, ski randonnée, paragliding, etc. are becoming more and more popular. Its alpine location and its mostly unspoiled nature make of Berchtesgaden National Park an ideal place for these sports activities. However, an increase of people accessing ever more remote areas presents a great risk for the National Park’s flora and fauna. Rare and delicate species of plants and animals particularly need protection, whereas an increase of sports activities in the park can greatly compromise this protection. The National Park Plan and the general conditions applicable to sports activities in Berchtesgaden National Park apply to the following sports: - Walking and mountain hiking - Climbing / ice-climbing - Canyoning - Cycling / mountain biking - Paragliding and hang-gliding - Backcountry skiing (randonnée) The National Park Plan lists the disorders and disturbances that these can cause, as well as the various ways of avoiding them. Additional information under National Park Management and Conflicting Usage
Statutory basis: National Park regulations National Park plan Nature protection laws FFH guidelines and Natura2000 Alpenkonvention International guidelines: IUCN Europa-Diplom ARGE-ALP-Resolution EUROPARC mission statement You will find further information on this webpage under the heading Nature Protection
The history of tourism in the Berchtesgadener Land goes back over 100 years and represents the region’s main business activity. The National Park is used by tourists as well: hiking, lodging in huts, boat cruises on Lake Königssee are all popular recreational activities in the Park. The National Park administration contributes to tourism in the Berchtesgaden region by protecting these unique high mountain landscapes on the one hand and by offering guided tours and excursions on the other. In an effort to avoid conflicting usage (see also “Conflicting Usage in the National Park” in the FAQ section) the balance of nature protection versus usage is outlined in the National Park Plan.
Berchtesgaden National Park offers a varied program of guided hikes and tours in the National Park. The following links will give you additional information on hiking programs, guiding for school groups and theme tours.
The National Park’s 230-km-long trail network is maintained by the National Park administration. We continuously check the trails and aim at keeping them in perfect condition. Nonetheless, should you have any complaints or notice something in particular, we would be grateful for you to inform the National Park administration by using the contact form called “Wegezustand” (trail conditions). contact form
Guidance for visitors is an important task of the National Park’s management. Numerous people visit the park annually (some 1.2 million according to a 2003 study) to enjoy hiking, other sports activities or a boat cruise on Lake Königssee. Apart from recreation, though, nature conservation is the National Park’s topmost aim. In order to avoid conflict, to protect sensitive areas and to decongest certain areas, visitor guidance is essential. This is to be found in the form of an official trail network consisting of 230km of well built hiking paths and mountain trails. In addition, signage in nature such as information panels, hiking trail and biking trail information are helpful reminders to visitors that they are in a protected area. The project entitled ‘EuRegionales Erholungsgebiet’ (Euro Regional Recreation Area) by Dr. Sabine Hennig explores the theme of visitor crowds and visitor guidance. The first results are expected soon and will be presented on this site. additional information on the project
Berchtesgaden National Park is subdivided into a core zone, a permanent development zone and a temporary development zone. In the National Park’s core zone, nature is to be allowed to develop with as little human intervention as possible. In the permanent development zone, the foremost goal is the maintenance of the farming territory. For the continued existence of habitats or land portions worthy of protection, it is necessary to pursue the agricultural activities in time-proven and traditional ways. In the temporary development zone the only measure taken involves hoofed game and this is to be for a limited time only. After 10 years, these areas are to be integrated into the core zone. Already existing grazing rights will not be affected in any of the zones.