30 years of Lower Oder Valley National Park: A celebration for people and nature!

30 years of Lower Oder Valley National Park: A celebration for people and nature!

A very special celebration is coming up in the Lower Oder Valley National Park: the world natural heritage site is being celebrated with various activities to mark its 30th anniversary. The official celebrations began on June 27, 2025 with the opening of the cross-border traveling exhibition “People on the River” in the Mescheriner Kranichhof. This exhibition and an accompanying film impressively show the lives of people on both sides of the Oder and are a real eye-catcher for anyone who wants to find out more about this special region. National park director Dirk Treichel emphasizes how important it is to present portraits of long-time residents and professionals, because they are the heart of this lively cultural landscape that characterizes the national park.

The decision to establish the national park in the Lower Oder Valley was not without controversy 30 years ago. But today everything speaks for the successful collaboration between land users and environmentalists. The park's current care zone focuses, among other things, on protecting endangered species such as the corncrake. The breeding pairs are recorded here every year and the dates of use are coordinated with the surrounding farmers so that people and nature can work hand in hand.

A unique protected area

With an area of ​​over 10,000 hectares, the Lower Oder Valley National Park stretches between the districts of Barnim and Uckermark and is not only Germany's only floodplain national park, but is also the first large-scale cross-border protected area in cooperation with Poland. The heart of the area is the floodplain landscape, which is characterized by large polders that are regularly flooded and offer a real biological paradise. This diversity attracts numerous nature lovers and makes the area one of the most species-rich habitats in Germany, as the park's website nationalpark-unteres-odertal.eu describes.

The Polish government also plans to expand the national park program and open its own national park in the Lower Oder Valley in January 2026. This initiative shows once again how important cross-border cooperation in nature conservation is and what opportunities it offers.

Sustainability and education in focus

Another exciting news is the official certification of the “Little Gamekeeper” daycare center as the first national park daycare center in the Lower Oder Valley. Here the little ones can enter the wonderful world of nature and learn in a playful way how they can protect it. A Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) also gives committed people the opportunity to experience the impressive floodplain landscape up close. Because engagement in nature is in demand, and the Naturwacht Brandenburg looks after junior ranger groups for children and young people aged five to 16 in order to increase awareness of the local flora and fauna.

In conclusion, the Lower Oder Valley National Park not only has an eventful history, but is also optimistic about the future. The anniversary is celebrated with numerous events and joint projects and at the same time awareness is raised of how valuable it is to protect and preserve nature. The RBB24 describes the successful balance between preserving nature and involving the population - a successful model for many other regions!