Wilderness Area Duerrenstein

Austria’s first Wilderness Area (according to international standards by IUCN) at Mount Dürrenstein in southern Lower Austria sees some growth in 2021: it is being enlarged by 3500 ha in the neighbouring province Styria. The area is mainly owned by the state and managed by Austria’s State Forestry „Österreichische Bundesforste“.

The „old“ 3500 ha Wilderness Reserve Dürrenstein host the remarkable Rothwald primary forest, the biggest remain of untouched woodland in the Alps and in Central Europe.  Rothwald is a strict reserve (IUCN category Ia) and is closed for visitors. But there are some marked trails in the rest of the reserve and the protected area’s management offers guided tours into the wilderness around Mount Dürrenstein.

Parts of the Wilderness Reserve Dürrenstein have been included as component part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for protection of European Primeval Beech Forests.

I was in the enlargement section and had a look…

Press images can be optained with ASAblanca Agency.

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