National Parks are in many ways a mirror of a country’s best natural features and, therefore, a particular focus of public perception. The ‘tradition of National Parks’ in Germany is relatively new. However, it can already look back on 40 years. In 1970 the Bavarian Forest National Park became the first German National Park. The National Parks received a special boost with the so-called ‘National Park Programme’ in the former GDR in 1990. Nowadays, the 14 designated National Parks in Germany have not only found respect and acceptance in vast circles of the population but are also characterised by the high added-value they have brought to the respective regions.
