A sprawling protected landscape bridging the Ruhr region, Münsterland, and the Lower Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Naturpark Hohe Mark
Naturpark Hohe Mark is one of the largest nature parks in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, established in 1963 and covering roughly 1,978 square kilometers. It stretches across the transitional zone between three major regional landscapes: the Lower Rhine in the west, the southwestern corner of the Münsterland in the north and east, and the northern fringe of the Ruhr industrial region in the south.
What sets the park apart is the unusual density of varied landscapes packed into a single protected area. Gentle farmland, wet meadows, peat bogs, mixed forests, dry sandy uplands, river floodplains, large reservoirs, and post-industrial sites all coexist within its borders. The central upland known as the Hohe Mark, together with the Haard and Borkenberge ranges, forms the forested heart of the park, while the Lippe and Issel river valleys shape its flatter edges.
The park also functions as an important ecological bridge between heavily urbanized southern areas and the more agricultural northern regions of Westphalia. Its landscapes support rare raised bogs, old-growth trees, cormorant and grey heron colonies, and one of central Europe's last herds of semi-wild Dülmen horses, giving it a conservation significance that extends well beyond its recreational value.
