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Blick auf die Saale
Ⓒ Uwe Weigel
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Naturpark Unteres Saaletal Durchbruchstal
Ⓒ Uwe Weigel
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Rothenburg, Durchbruchstal Saale
Ⓒ WelterbeRegion Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg e.V., Uwe Weigel
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Naturpark Unteres Saaletal
Ⓒ Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal"

Lower Saale Valley Nature Park

The area of the Lower Saale Valley became a protected landscape in 1961 because of its scenic beauty and natural treasures. Thanks to floodplains, variously shaped side valleys and rocky slopes, the area has long offered naturalists and artists stimulation and inspiration. Many protected animal and plant species are at home here and there are various cultural monuments to discover.

Logo Naturpark Unteres Saaletal

Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal" e.V.

Bahnhofstraße 1a
06406 Bernburg (Saale)

Tel. 03471 6404835
info@unteres-saaletal.de
www.unteres-saaletal.de
 

 

Radfahrer am Durchbruchstal der Saale bei Rothenburg

Ⓒ Uwe Weigel

Covering an area of over 40,000 hectares, the Lower Saale Valley Nature Park follows the course of the river between Halle and Bernburg. Steeply rising cliffs, narrow valleys and imposing slopes mark the spots where the Saale broke through the Halle-Hettenstedt anticline. The gently rising farmland and the fairytale-like floodplain offer glimpses into the earth’s evolution. Deciduous forests, flowing waters, dry biotopes and scattered orchards heighten the unique charm of the region. Because of its favorable location, the area of the Lower Saale Valley was settled very early. Today, numerous archaeological monuments tell us about the life of the region’s former inhabitants.

Five nature trails lead through the park, providing information about the flora of the alluvial forests, mining, and the cultural history of the region.

The information center in Bernburg has a small exhibition about the local geology, fauna and flora and provides visitors with general information and brochures.

Opening hours

Verband Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal" e.V.
Monday-Friday 09:00-12:00

Getting there by bike
Discover the Lower Saale Valley Nature Park by bike: 68 km of the Saale cycle route cross the park, 29 km of the R1/D3 Euro-Route, and 22 km of the Saale-Harz route.

Getting there by public transport
The nature park information center is located directly in the Bernburg station building, where you will receive information on how to explore the nature park on foot or using public transport.

Highlights & Recommendations

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Radfahrer an der Saale
Ⓒ Boris Breuer

Saale Cycle Route

This 427-km-bike trail follows the Saale from its source in the Bavarian Fichtel Mountains to its mouth in the Elbe near Barby. Impressive landscapes, castles and palaces characterize the route.

In the Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg region, the bike path runs through Bernburg (Saale) with its beautiful Renaissance castle, through the Lower Saale Valley Nature Park and the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe.

Contact
Saaleradweg e.V.
Tel. 03641 3479990

www.saaleradweg.de
info@saaleradweg.de

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Schloss Nienburg
Ⓒ Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal"

Cranach painting

Original painting by Lucas Cranach the Younger – unique in the German culture

This painting casts doubt on the belief that transferring the seat of government from Bernburg to Dessau in 1570 by the Anhalt prince Joachim Ernst was based solely on rational factors. Joachim Ernst had married Agnes von Barby in 1560. The wedding portrait (1563) and the epitaph painting (1570) above her grave in the Nienburg monastery church are markers of a happy relationship expressing itself in an impressive Renaissance building inside the Bernburg Castle, the Long House (Langhaus).

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Saaledurchbruch - Naturpark Unteres Saaletal
Ⓒ Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal"

Naturlehrpfad Sprohne

Digitale und interaktive Rallye

Der seit 2011 existierende Lehrpfad stellt die für den nördlichen Teil des Naturparks charakteristische Vegetationsform des Auwaldes vor. Im Zusammenhang mit dem Standort Nienburg und dem benachbarten Grimschleben entspricht die Örtlichkeit besonders gut dem Ansatz der Naturparks zur Verknüpfung von Natur, Kultur und Geschichte.

Für Familien und Schulklassen wurde eine digitale Handy-Rallye für den Lehrpfad entwickelt, welche über die Actionbound-App gespielt werden kann. Erkunden Sie den Naturlehrpfad Sprohne einmal anders und finden Sie Orte und lösen Sie die Ihnen gestellten Aufgaben zu den Themen Auwald, Streuobst, Natura 2000 und Flussbegradigung (Anleitung Actionbound).

Kontakt
Verband Naturpark "Unteres Saaletal" e.V.
Tel. 03471 6404835

www.unteres-saaletal.de
info@unteres-saaletal.de

Sights

Lower Saale Valley Nature Park
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Blick auf das Schloss Bernburg an der Saale
Ⓒ Michael Wittrisch

Bernburg Castle

The former residential castle of the princes and later dukes of Anhalt-Bernburg rises on a high sandstone rock on the eastern bank of the Saale. A “civitas brandanburg” was first mentioned in a deed of gift from Otto I dated July 29, 961.

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