Part I - Dike relocation as a joint project of flood protection, monument protection, agriculture and nature conservation

We will take you to Life Nature and Life+ Nature projects (sponsored by WWF and the biosphere reserve) in connection with state nature and flood protection measures. The project area is part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the approx. 5.5 km circular walk, you will gain an insight into the measures implemented between 2001-2018 to preserve and develop the river landscape in the Middle Elbe area. Flood protection, agriculture and nature conservation go hand in hand here. Within the project, nature conservation aspects were combined with the aim of sustainable river basin development and floodplain dynamics as well as flood protection aspects.

Lunch Break at the Information Center

You will spend your lunch break on the grounds of the biosphere reserve’s information center - the Auenhaus. There you have the opportunity to eat your packed lunch and find out more about the biosphere reserve in the information center.

Part II - Conversion of former military properties in the “Oranienbaumer Heide” area to semi-open pasture landscape

We will visit an area that was off-limits for many decades and is now a refuge for biodiversity. The Oranienbaum Heath was once a military training area for the German and Soviet armies and is now a new space for people and nature. This stop focuses on the transformation of the area, which was closed to the public, into a new home for endangered species and a recreational area for people. With a bit of luck, the Konik horses and Heck cattle will also make an appearance during the tour.

Part I - Management of an oxbow lake in line with nature conservation and monument protection requirements

The field trip will focus on one of the most extensive and long-term programs in the biosphere reserve: as the Elbe‘s oxbow lakes cannot be re-emerged due to river development, the remaining oxbow lakes must be managed. Since 1979, more than 25 oxbow lakes have been rehabilitated by various agencies, mostly by desilting.

Learn interesting facts about the ecological and conservation reconstruction of Lake Kühnau along the Elbe cycle path and a floodplain trail (approx. 5 km walk in the morning). Together with the adjacent Großkühnau Landscape Park to the south, it is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz. This is followed by a short stop at the world-famous Bauhaus Dessau UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lunch Break at the Information Center

You will spend your lunch break on the grounds of the biosphere reserve’s information center - the Auenhaus. There you have the opportunity to eat your packed lunch and find out more about the biosphere reserve in the information center.

Part II - Dike relocation  as a joint project of flood protection, monument protection, agriculture and nature conservation

The field trip takes you to Life Nature and Life+ Nature projects (sponsored by WWF and the biosphere reserve) in connection with state measures for nature and flood protection. The project area is part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the approx. 5.5 km circular walk, you will gain an insight into the measures implemented between 2001-2018 to preserve and develop the river landscape in the Middle Elbe area. Flood protection, agriculture and nature conservation go hand in hand here. The project combined nature conservation aspects with the aim of sustainable river basin development and floodplain dynamics as well as flood protection aspects.

Field trip 3: Discovering the UNESCO World Heritage in the region 

The density of UNESCO World Heritage sites in and around the biosphere reserve is impressive. On this field trip you will have the opportunity to visit two of them.

Part I – Palaces and gardens of the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-​Wörlitz

‚The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz‘ is an exceptional example of landscape design and planning of the Age of the Enlightenment in the 18th century. Its diverse components – outstanding buildings, landscaped parks and gardens in the English style, and subtly modified expanses of agricultural land – serve aesthetic, educational, and economic purposes in an exemplary manner. You will have the opportunity to experience the UNESCO World Heritage Site from the lake on a gondola ride

Lunch Break at the Information Center

You will spend your lunch break on the grounds of the biosphere reserve’s information center - the Auenhaus. There you have the opportunity to eat your packed lunch and find out more about the biosphere reserve in the information center.

Part II – On the trail of Bauhaus in Dessau

From 1925 to 1932, the city was home to one of the most famous architecture and art schools in the world: the Bauhaus. Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe succeeded in attracting artists such as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Lyonel Feininger to Dessau. In the Bauhaus Museum, you can discover many exhibits and immerse yourself in a symbol of modernity and pioneering human achievement.