Westhavelland Nature Park
The most extensive large-scale reserve in Brandenburg measures 1,315 square kilometres (ca. 508 sq miles) and is situated only 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) west of Berlin, nestled in the lower Havel river valley near the border to Saxony-Anhalt.
Water, extensive lowlands, forested elevations and small towns of the Mark provide the landscape between Brandenburg an der Havel, Friesack and Neustadt/Dosse with an unmistakable look.
Incorporating the Havel, its tributaries and lakes, the nature park is one of the regions in Germany with the most water bodies.
The area is characterised by the lower Havel River between Brandenburg and Havelberg. Its source is in Mecklenburg and after running a course of about 341 kilometres (ca. 212 miles) it joins the Elbe.
The lowland of the lower Havel is one of the largest continuous wetlands in western Central Europe and a habitat for many endangered animal and plant species. This is where one can find wading and water birds, beavers and Eurasian otters, white-tailed eagles and red kites as well as Germany’s last great bustards.
Likewise spectacular is the dark night sky above the nature park, revealing the Milky Way in its full glory. This abundance of natural beauty before the gates of Berlin earned the nature park the ‘Star Park Westhavelland’ designation – Germany’s first star park!