Buchenwald Grumsin, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site

The Buchenwald Grumsin Beech Forest is part of the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany World Natural Heritage Site. In 2011, the UNESCO Committee added this German section to the existing World Heritage Site of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians.
The reason for its inclusion on the World Heritage List is its extraordinary surface relief, with its deep depressions, gullies, and rugged mountain ranges reminiscent of low mountain ranges.

The immense forces of the last Ice Age shaped the landscape in this way. The beech forest here is interspersed with countless small and large bogs and alder swamps, which provide a habitat for a wide variety of animals and plants. The undisturbed nature and vast expanse of the forest provide a home for white-tailed eagles, cranes, and black storks, while rare orchids find their very specific habitat here, as do the marsh calla and peat moss.

The Buchenwald Grumsin Beech Forest is the largest natural development area within the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. The forest’s core zone has not been managed for over 20 years and is already showing signs of the onset of natural forest development. Anyone wishing to explore the unique surroundings of the Buchenwald Grumsin World Natural Heritage Site or experience the otherwise inaccessible natural development areas on a special guided tour can take an expert-led tour or simply enjoy nature along the hiking trails.

Guided Tours:

1. Guided Tour of the Buchenwald Grumsin World Natural Heritage Site: “A Primeval Forest Takes Shape”

2. Buchenwald Grumsin Tour: “Living World Heritage—An Interactive Tour of the Buchenwald Grumsin”