30 Years of Lower Oder Valley National Park – A Region Reflects and Looks Ahead

Three decades of active nature conservation, floodplain landscape, and dialogue: Under the motto “30 Years of Lower Oder Valley National Park – 30 Years Quite Wild,” the Lower Oder Valley National Park invites all citizens, regional stakeholders, and interested parties to the National Park Conference on November 6, 2025, at the Kanonenschuppen in Gartz (Oder).

Since its establishment in 1995, the Lower Oder Valley National Park has been the heart of Brandenburg’s nature conservation and, at the same time, a region in transition. The conference takes the 30th anniversary as an opportunity to take stock and develop perspectives for the future.

“We want to hear what people in the region think about their national park – what’s going well, where there are challenges, and what ideas they have for the coming years,” says Frank Bretsch, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Lower Oder Valley National Park and moderator of the event.

Looking Back and Ahead

In the morning, representatives from agriculture, fisheries, hunting, municipalities, water management, education, and nature conservation will provide an interim assessment with short statements: What has changed since the national park’s establishment? What expectations are there for future development?

National Park Director Dirk Treichel will then summarize the past 30 years and analyze upcoming challenges in his presentation “Project Without a Blueprint – The Development of Germany’s Only Floodplain National Park.”

In the afternoon, the focus shifts to the future: topics include the role of land consolidation for the preservation of the floodplain landscape and cross-border nature conservation. A representative of the Saxon Switzerland National Park will report on experiences in cooperation with the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic, and the head of the Association of Polish Landscape Parks in West Pomerania will explain the current status of the re-establishment of the Polish National Park in the Lower Oder Valley. Simultaneous translation into Polish will enable direct cross-border exchange.

Connecting Nature and People

For three decades, the Lower Oder Valley has stood for the attempt to harmonize people and nature. “The national park is not only a protected area but also a living and working space,” says Dirk Treichel. “It can only continue to develop through dialogue.”

The conference concludes with a joint summary and an outlook on future tasks.

Refreshments will be provided. Registration is not required.