Grumsin

Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve offers a wide range of nature experiences to visitors interested in nature, e.g. interpretive trails, exhibitions, and - particularly impressive - the observation of cranes. The beech forest can be experienced in the context of guided walks.

Deep valleys with a varied range of mires and small bodies of water alternate with prominent peaks. This structural diversity in a comparatively small area provides for a wealth of fauna and flora.

White-tailed eagles, black storks, and cranes are further ornithological highlights of this area. European tree frogs thrive in the abundant near-natural small waterbodies, and the intact mires are home to rare plant species, such as sundew and cotton sedge. For some time now, wolves have been observed passing through the area.

The beech forest represents the lowland beech forests on glacial sand and loam soils. Such structural diversity in such a confined space provides the foundation for an unusual wealth of plant and animal species. The predominant forest ecosystem type is the wood millet beech forest.

Forest history research shows that Grumsin Forest has been a mostly deciduous forest for several hundred years. In the former German Democratic Republic, the area was a government-owned hunting ground. Numerous rare animal species susceptible to interference benefitted from the access restrictions. Since 1990, Grumsin has been a significant component of the core zone of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Schorfheide-Chorin. Due to a minimal timber harvest rate and general restrictions on utilisation during the past thirty years, the area is characterised by a high proportion of old growth forest, which adds to the high conservation significance of the Grumsin beech forests.