A brief journey into the history of our nature park
The roots of Dobersberg Nature Park go back to a forest nature trail established by the local council in 1973. The nature park was created in 1982 – at that time with a strong focus on tourism and as a local recreation area. Following its opening, the newly founded Nature Park Association took over its management, maintenance and protection. A small information centre opened in Dobersberg Castle, which was expanded in 2008 to its current size and form as a natural history museum.
All nature parks in Lower Austria are based on a four-pillar concept that encompasses nature conservation, recreation, education and regional development as its central concerns. 70% of the Dobersberg Nature Park’s land is owned by the municipality, which, free from economic considerations, allows for a landscape design that remains close to nature. The typical Thaya landscape here features steep, rugged slopes that are of little economic use and are largely preserved in their natural state.
The Dobersberg Nature Park also encompasses a Natura 2000 protected area (“Waldviertel Pond, Heath and Moor Landscape”) along the banks of the Thaya. The aim of this initiative is the cross-border protection of endangered native wild plant and animal species and their natural habitats.
Particularly vulnerable butterfly species such as the geranium blue and the meadow knapweed blue find a protected habitat here. In the old arm of the Thaya, which was cut off around 1900 during the construction of the railway, animals and plants find a special refuge.
