beech forest and pine forests, »mountains« and ravines, bogs, fields, meadows, hedges and even an inland dune. Melting water in the Ice Age washed out the Buckower Rinne which runs through the nature park. In the »Buckower Kes- sel« (Buckow Kettle) there is the Schermützelsee lake which covers 146 hectares and is 40 metres deep. Just one and a half kilometres away the 129 metre hill, the »Krugberg«, rises The Stobber rushes through round 25 kilometres of the nature cultivation remain intact, the management of the nature park up. In the Pritzhagen Hills there are two lakes – the Kleiner Fuel Station for Birds park and drops 43 metres in height. Once it used to drive many organises contractual nature conservation, such as the mowing Tornowsee and the Großer Tornowsee – which is just 250 mill wheels. They have now largely disappeared. The mill ponds of the water meadow to protect orchids, grazing to maintain metres apart and have a difference in height of 16.5 metres. Almost all of the nature park is a European bird reserve. remain, however: a hurdle which cannot be crossed, not just the species-rich dry grass and the planting of hedges, which This is a landscape with many contours, where at every turn Among the over 140 species of breeding birds which have by migrating fish species. Eight dams were made passable again provides all-round ecology that shapes the landscape in many the Ice Age is within reach: with the boulders which have been been counted, there are the »big ones«: both black and white through the use of »fish stairs«, among other things. Around 20 areas. Intervention by humans is not necessary everywhere: Little Switzerland transported here by glaciers which, among other things, have storks, both red and black kites, honey buzzards, white-tailed species of fish can be found teeming between the Pritzhagen and such as in alder and ash forests in the Stobbertal nature con- been used to build roads and houses (as well as churches), eagles and common cranes. Smaller species such as both the When you think of »Switzerland« you think of peaks, ravines Eichendorf mills alone, among which are rare examples such as servation area, the deciduous forests by the Schermützelsee with the mighty glacial erratics such as the »Bollersdorfer black and middle spotted woodpeckers, green sandpipers or and views across the countryside. The Brandenburg Switzerland chub, the European bitterling, European weather loach, spined loach lake, the mature forest in the Tiergarten nature conservation Stein« or deeply cut meltwater channels, such as the Silber- barred warbler also belong to the area and diversity of habitat. Nature Park has all this to offer – a good 30 kilometres from and gudgeon. It used to be just six species. In the nature park area, in the Silberkehle and the Wolfsschlucht. Here in the kehle, Buchenkehle and Wolfsschlucht, which are among the In a lakeland area of almost 300 hectares from Altfriedland to the eastern edge of Berlin. Even if the peaks are not as high the beaver has now joined the otter, the water shrew and the rest. apparent disorderliness you can make out the natural order most idyllic areas in the nature park. Karlsdorf up to 40,000 bean and white-fronted geese rest here and the ravines (also called gorges) are not so deep: the ups which supports the lives of many species. There are beautiful broad views across the countryside from in the autumn. Common terns, black-headed and silver gulls and downs of some routes are as breathtaking as the beauty of the panorama path and from the Bollersdorfer Höhe to the equally belong to the scenery, which can be easily seen from Cultivated Landscape Ministry of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection of the Federal State of the landscape. It has been primarily shaped by the last Ice Age Brandenburg Schermützelsee lake, from the Krugberg and Dachsberg in the the observation tower, possibly with the aid of binoculars. which came to an end here around 12,000 years ago. There are Meets Wilderness Editors: Brandenburg State Office of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection, Pritzhagen Hills, from the viewpoint at Münchehofe across the Fishing also takes place here and the fisherman’s festival is Office of Press and Public Relations also broad views across the countryside and you can hear an 14476 Potsdam, OT Groß Glienicke, Seeburger Chaussee 2, Tel. (03 32 01) 4 22 - 0 Klobichsee lake or from the Galgenberg hill near Reichenberg celebrated in August every year in Altfriedland. echo can be heard at the »Kleiner Tornowsee« lake. 160 years A good third of the area of the nature park is forest: with a and Märkische Schweiz Nature Park across to the wide fields of Oberbarnim. Photographs: Bausewein, Klaeber, Klinger, Liebke, Rasmus, Naturwacht Brandenburg ago the hilly area got its name as city dwellers in search of re- noticeably high population of elm, copper beech, common Map: Pro Line Concept, Berlin laxation and fresh air increasingly move into the countryside. Stairs for Fish hornbeam, common oak, sessile oak ... and deadwood. In the Design/creation: Power DesignThing GmbH Printed by: Landesvermessung und Geobasisinformation Brandenburg Since this time almost 70 landscapes in Germany have been Buckower Kessel, a large basin with lakes and ravines, mist As of: September 2013 given the attractive epithet of a dream landscape: Switzerland. The clear, oxygenrich Stobber is the central flowing water in the and high humidity are often prevalent: it is a good place for The nature park established under the National Park Programme nature park. It rises up in the Rotes Luch, flows from the south the copper beech. Buckow is derived from the Slavonic word of the last East German government is, with 205 square kilome- west to the north east through the lakes of the Buckower Kessel. »buk« meaning copper beech. The manor system which once tres, the smallest yet »longest-serving« in the State of Branden- Marsh areas, remnants of riparian forests, and headwaters dominated today’s nature park with relatively large fields is Märkische Schweiz burg, which today has a total of 15 large conservation areas. line its largely natural course. It is a habitat which has become one of the reasons for the unspoilt views across the country- It is situated in the district of Märkisch-Oderland between the increasingly rare for the »heraldic animal« of the nature park: side in many places. Things are rather different in the narrow Nature Park towns of Strausberg, Müncheberg and Neuhardenberg, well the common club-tail (club-tail dragonfly), one of 53 species Buckower Kessel, where the town’s farmers only cultivated known for its Schinkel-designed buildings and Lenné park. In just of the dragonfly which have been verified as living in the area. small areas of land. So it was that the Buckow vineyards and a small area almost all types of landscape can be found: lakes The once common species is heavily endangered not just in the field lots at Fontaneweg, for example, came about. So Landesamt für Umwelt, Naturpark Nationale and kettle ponds, springs and streams, fish ponds and ditches, Germany, even if their numbers are starting to recover. that these cultivated landscapes which came about through Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Märkische Schweiz Naturlandschaften TF Katharinenhof Neutrebbin Metzdorf NP Herzhorn Uckermärkische BR Flusslandschaft NemitzRheinsbergNP Seen NLP Elbe-Brandenburg Stechlin- BR Unteres Ruppiner Land Schorfheide- Odertal Chorin NP Prötzel NeufriedlandNe NP Barnim Multitasking: For visitors Bernau Reichenow West- NP and people who live in the havelland Märkische BERLIN Schweiz Europäisches nature park, fishermen and Potsdam Gottesgabe Vogelschutz- NP gebiet Dahme- Prädikow Batzlow 167 e farmers the staff of the NP NP e Heideseen rs Hoher Nuthe- NP e t Nature Watch (Naturwacht) Fläming Nieplitz Schlaubetal s o l BR K Altfriedland are point of contact. They Spreewald Ihlow e NLP = national park (Nationalpark) NP e Großschutzgebiete S manage biotope and species BR = biosphere reserve Niederlausitzer S r Märkische Schweiz o in Brandenburg Landrücken Ringenwalde e p (Biosphärenreservat) PLACE OFFERINGS Accommodation/inns information Tourist Bathing Environmental facilities education heritage Museums/local museums/exhibitions tz h NP e conservation projects, as NP = nature park (Naturpark) ie i Nature Park was awarded NLP = Nationalpark Niederlausitzer n Lettinsee K f BR = Biosphärenreservat Heidelandschaft li Altfriedland • • • • well as carrying out constant e Large Nature Reserves in ß the title of a quality NP = Naturpark Karlsdorf Bollersdorf • • monitoring of rare species Brandenburg nature park in 2007. Reichenberg Buckow • • • • • Dolgensee such as beavers, otters and Grunow Garzau • • • bats, offering guided walks Garzin • Ernsthof and looking after the junior TF Hermersdorf • Neuhardenberg rangers, the »Swiss Bears«. Ihlow • Pritzhagen Julianenhof • Klosterdorff Stafsee r S Julianenhof e Müncheberg • • • • b b o Münchehof • • • t S Neuhardenberg • • • “… like velvet on the lungs” Strausberg Bollersdorf Kl. und Gr. R1 Tornowsee Obersdorf • • Pritzhagen • The black woodpecker is S NSG TF Wulkow ee Stobbertal Prötzel • • The small town of Buckow, which today has around 1,700 a characteristic species of ls Hohensteinenstein Ruhlsdorf e z Treuenhof t Hermersdorf Reichenberg • natural forests. Here there ü L Drei Eichen inhabitants and was the first Kneipp health resort in the State m r Ringenwalde • e are, for example, sufficient Hasenholz h c Ruhlsdorf • of Brandenburg,