LOCATION
It is located on Rügen Island in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Consisting of only 30 km2
It is famous for the great chalk cliffs, which form the 12km of the coastline at more than a 100m above sea level. The white cliffs stand out from the blue of the Baltic Sea and are framed by the green of the ancient beech forests. Travellers coming from Sweden to Germany are welcomed by this scenery of Jasmund’s coast as the first impression of Central Europe. The most significant chalk rock is the so-called Königsstuhl (German = “king’s chair”) with an altitude of 117 metres above sea level. The chalk cliff coast of Rügen is like a cradle of tourism in Germany. At the end of the 18th century, painters were the first to discover the exceptional natural beauty and they were soon followed by writers, scientists and royals. Thus it became a tourist destination more than 200 years ago. It is also an area with a history in nature conservation, having been protected since 1929 as a nature reserve. Apart from the cliffs, the beech forests, springs, streams and mires, as well as a 500-metre strip of the Baltic Sea, are also part of the national park. Consisting of only 31 km², this is the smallest national park in Germany. The old nature reserve was enlarged and designated as a national park in 1990, under the East-German National Park Programme a few days before the German reunification. The Königsstuhl National Park Center is the main visitor-friendly area for the Jasmund National Park and is one of the most popular national park centres in Germany. In 2011 the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany were inscribed as an extension of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nearly 500ha of the Jasmund National Park is included as a component part in the trilateral serial property of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany. Because of the special geological characteristics of the Jasmund National Park, it is home to many rare plants and animals. In the woods of the Stubnitz, behind the cliffs, there are numerous water-filled dells and hollows, most of which came into existence as ice-age dead-ice holes. A wide range of plants are found in this area, e.g. black alder, European crab apple, wild service tree, yew and orchids (like the Cypripedium calceolus). A variety of birds live in the park: white-tailed eagle, kingfisher, house martin and the peregrine falcon.
ATTRACTIONS
1) Visit KOENIGSSTUHL National Park Centre. Discover nature‘s secrets in the 2,000m2 indoor exhibition as well as on 28,000m2 of outdoor grounds.
2) Visit The observation platform on the Koenigsstuhl – 118 metres above the Baltic Sea.
3) Visit Dinosaur Land.
4) Visit Nature Center Ruegen, visitors can climb and see fascinating surroundings.
5) Visit museums in Rugen: U-boat museum; Oldtimer Museum Rugen.
