The Westhavelland Nature Park is one of the regions with the most water in Germany. No matter what time of year, the nature park always offers picturesque sights and invites you to go for a walk, cycle or explore nature.
The meandering Havel and its tributaries and the many lakes characterise the extensive nature reserve. In the winter and spring months, large parts of the Havel floodplains are flooded. The nature park provides a protected home for countless bird species. With a little patience you can spot kingfishers, great bustards, cranes, wild geese and many more.
You will also encounter beavers, nutrias and deer quite often.
Gülper See
The Gülper See, which is part of the Westhavelland Nature Park and covers an area of about 660 hectares, has an incredible diversity of endangered animal and plant species.
The lake is one of the most important waterfowl resting places in inland Central Europe!
Breeding birds include marsh harrier, bittern, black tern and common tern. In autumn and spring, tens of thousands of water birds rest here every year.
On the dyke (accessible via the Gülper Hauptstraße, near the small village of Prietzen) there is a wooden observation tower from which you can marvel at this true spectacle of nature. If you have them, bring binoculars!
Westhavelland Star Park
The Westhavelland Nature Park was designated Germany’s first Star Park on 12 February 2014.
Due to the predominantly very small villages and the distance to larger cities, the night sky in Westhavelland is darker than in most regions of Germany.
Thus, not only picturesque sunsets can be seen here, but also a beautiful night sky with countless stars – a sight that is usually hidden from us in our never-sleeping capital city.
USEFUL INFORMATION
With the RE4, you can travel directly from Berlin to Rathenow in a bit more than an hour. Once arrived, you are already in the middle of the nature park region.
By car, bicycle or one of the public buses, you can get to nature quite quickly. The photos in this article were all taken in Havelaue, a small community that includes several villages not far from Gülper See.
The Westhavelland Nature Park has no specific entrances or opening hours. There are also no entrance fees.
Information on events, routes etc. can be found on the website (German only):
