The largest nature reserve of the Weimarer Land, protecting dry grassland and forest on the southern slope of the Ettersberg.
Südhang Ettersberg
Südhang Ettersberg is a nature reserve in Thuringia, central Germany, situated on the southern slopes of the Ettersberg ridge near the city of Weimar. Covering roughly 408 hectares, it is the largest protected area in the Weimarer Land district and includes the adjacent Bernhardtsberg hill. The reserve was designated in 1997 and protects a mosaic of dry grassland, scrub, woodland, and associated valley features that are characteristic of the warmer, south-facing slopes of the Thuringian landscape.
The area carries significant biodiversity value, which became especially clear after the NABU-Stiftung Nationales Naturerbe acquired around 289 hectares of the reserve between 2015 and 2017. A dedicated biodiversity day organized at the Ettersberg in 2016 recorded hundreds of plant and animal species, reflecting the ecological richness of the dry slopes and forest patches. Roads such as the L 1054, B 7, and B 85 pass along the edges of the reserve, but the core slopes remain a quiet refuge for native flora and fauna.
Beyond its ecological role, Südhang Ettersberg is part of a broader network of protected areas around Weimar, where protected grassland and forest habitats sit alongside the cultural landscape associated with the city. The reserve illustrates how relatively small, slope-specific habitats in central Germany can hold outsized importance for species conservation and regional ecological connectivity.
