Nationalpark Berchtesgaden

Bavaria, Germany

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Nationalpark Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, is the country's only alpine national park, covering 210 square kilometers in the Berchtesgaden Alps along the Austria border near the town of Berchtesgaden.

Established in 1978 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1990, it protects diverse habitats from the emerald fjord-like Königssee lake at 603 meters to the Watzmann peak at 2,713 meters, including old-growth forests, alpine pastures, glaciers, and rocky high plateaus shaped by Ice Age forces.

Home to chamois, ibex, golden eagles, marmots, rare orchens, and over 700 butterfly species, the park emphasizes "let nature be nature" with minimal intervention, offering 260 km of hiking trails, boat trips on Königssee, and the Haus der Berge visitor center for education on its dynamic ecosystems.