On the border between Germany and Czech Republic, on the southern side of the granite and gneiss bedrock of the Šumava mountains, lies the largest contiguous woodland scenery in Central Europe of which the highest point is Rachel peak (1453 m). It comprises forests close to natural state, peatlands, water courses and secondary grasslands. The main intention of this National Park is to retain an extensively forested, characteristically Central European low mountain range, with its native animal and plant communities, in particular their natural and nearly-natural forest eco-systems, to maintain the effectiveness of the natural environmental energy and the undisturbed dynamics of its community of life.

The park is situated in south-eastern Bavaria about 35 km south of Salzburg and 125 km south-east of Munich. It follows the border with Austria on all sides except the north. It is noted for the exceptional quality of its landscapes, the richness of its flora and fauna and the diversity of its natural sites, ranging in altitude from 603 to 2713 m.

The Nature Reserve "Lüneburger Heide" contains the largest remaining historical heathland areas in Central Europe, a relict of a former widespread landscape developed by heathland farming ("Heidebauernwirtschaft") especially in the middle ages. The origin of this manmade landscape is the use from Bronze Age on. The heathland is characterised by its wide and open savannah-like occurance in connection with several biocoenosis adapted to these special conditions.

The strikung scenery with wooded hilltops in this area close to Bonn, Königswinter and Bad Honef is the result of volcanic activity and erosion. The Siebengebirge can be described as the ruins of different volcanic eruptions. The present 300 - 460 m summits consist of solid rock from which the tuff ashes were removed by erosion. Much of the reserve comprises beechwood communities with xerothermal features characteristic of oakwood with hornbeam. Since 2010 - basing on the 2009 resolution of the European Parliament on wildernis areas in Europe - part of the reserve is the first official wildernis area in North-Rhine-Westphalia outside national parks.

Western Europe's first-ever transfrontier nature park is a vast area of natural and farmed landscape little disturbed by civilisation and appreciated by holidaymakers; it lies on both sides of the border rivers Our and Sauer. There are numerous items of natural and cultural interest: typical Ardennes landscapes with high plateaux and deep ravines; and to the south a charateristically hilly Lorraine landscape with attractive natural streams. 42.610 ha are situated in Germany and 38.880 ha in Luxemburg.

Weltenburger Enge is a gorge about 6 km in length, one of the most beautiful and striking landscapes of the upper Danube; it crosses one of the foothills of the Swabian and Franconian Jura 20 km south-west of Regensburg. It features 100m high rock faces and geological strata of considerable palaeontological interest, with reef facies. There are numerous important archaeological and historico-cultural remains.

Second only to the Rhine delta, Wollmatinger Ried is one of the principal wetlands on Lake Constance with numerous endangered plant species; in the autumn and spring it is a very important area for waterfowl. The reserve forms a unit comprising the Ermatinger Becken, the Hegne Bucht, and two small islands.

Wurzacher Ried is an area of extensive moorland in which mires of every type are perfectly preserved. It is the largest intact raised bog of Central Europe, an exemplary relic of the early landscape that developed after the last ice age. It is situated in the Land of Baden-Württemberg in Upper Swabia (Oberschwaben).