Lower Oder Valley International Park

Lower Oder Valley International Park
Międzynarodowy Park Dolina Dolnej Odry (Polish),
Internationalpark Unteres Odertal (German)
Lower Oder Valley International Park
Germany (pale blue) & Poland (pale mauve)
· Bright green: Lower Oder Valley National Park – German core area
· Olive green: Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park – Polish core area
· Yellow: Landscape Conservation Area Lower Oder Valley National Park Region – German non-core area
· Orange: Cedynia Landscape Park – Polish non-core area
Lower Oder Valley International Park is located in Europe
Lower Oder Valley International Park
LocationLower Oder Valley, on the border between Germany and Poland
Nearest citySchwedt (Germany), Gryfino (Poland)
Coordinates53°12′30″N 14°24′9″E / 53.20833°N 14.40250°E / 53.20833; 14.40250
Area1173 km2
Established1992

The Lower Oder Valley International Park is a shared German-Polish nature reserve. It comprises the western banks of the Oder river within the Uckermark district in the German state of Brandenburg as well as the steep eastern banks in the Gryfino and Police counties of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship further north.

The German part of the core area is the Nationalpark Unteres Odertal (Lower Oder Valley National Park). There is an information centre at Criewen. The Polish part of the core area is the Park Krajobrazowy Dolina Dolnej Odry (Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park).

View from Krajnik Dolny on the Polish side of the border
Winter on the river Oder near Krajnik Dolny

The area comprises 165 km2 (64 sq mi) (Germany 105 km2 (41 sq mi), Poland 60 km2 (23 sq mi)); together with adjoining nature reserves in Germany and Poland the total area is 1,173 km2 (453 sq mi). By decision of the German-Polish Environmental Council in 1992 the German, Polish and Brandenburg environment ministers as well as the voivode of Szczecin created the Lower Oder Valley International Park.

Black stork

The flat western shore of the Oder features several levees, which in order to control the water level and to prevent high floods are regularly opened in winter and spring. The water flows freely into extensive floodplains covered until April when the dikes are closed again and the remaining water is drained.

Conservation grazing with Taurus cattle near Stolzenhagen[1]
  1. ^ Verein der Freunde ... (w/o date): Heckrind - Auerochse - Taurusrind Archived 2014-08-13 at the Wayback Machine Accessed on 13 August 2014.(in German)