A lake-dotted, hill country of northern Germany, shaped by the last ice age.
Naturpark Holsteinische Schweiz
Naturpark Holsteinische Schweiz is the largest of the six nature parks in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, covering roughly 75,000 hectares in the eastern part of the state within the broader holiday region known as Holsteinische Schweiz. The protected area spans parts of three districts: Ostholstein, Plön, and Segeberg, and stretches in a north-south direction from the Selenter See down to Bad Segeberg, and west to east from Ascheberg on the Großer Plöner See to Schönwalde at the foot of the Bungsberg, the highest point in Schleswig-Holstein.
The park's character is defined by a classic post-glacial landscape of rolling hills, meltwater channels, and an extraordinary density of lakes, with around two hundred bodies of water and numerous streams within its boundaries. The largest and most ecologically significant of these is the Großer Plöner See, which is internationally important for breeding, resting, and migrating waterbirds. Mixed beech forests, traditional hedgerow systems known as Knicks, semi-open grazing landscapes, and restored peatlands round out the mosaic of habitats within the park.
As the largest nature park in Schleswig-Holstein and one of six in the state, the Holsteinische Schweiz plays an important regional role in protecting the glacial lake-and-hill landscapes of northern Germany while supporting sustainable land use, tourism, and local identity in three districts and many small communities around its core.
