There’s a primeval forest growing in the heart of Germany.
The broadleaf forest of the Hainich area in Thüringen with its ancient beeches and more than 8,600 species of animals is a protected national park and part of a UNESCO world heritage listing.
Visitors can view the woods right from the treetops on the Hainich Canopy Walk Way. The wheelchair-accessible path 25 meters above the ground affords a spectacular look at Germany’s largest continuous area of broadleaf forest. It conveys an impression of what Europe may have looked like 6,500 years ago, when nearly half the continent was covered in forest. The National Park Center in Thiemsburg offers information about the ecology of the forest habitat and the changes it undergoes in the course of the seasons. In springtime the forest floor is covered in flowers. In the fall the trees are aglow in the colors of the changing foliage. The nearby village of Hütscheroda features a compound that houses several wildcats, shy animals that are rarely seen in the wild.