Celebrating National Parks! First Anniversary of the Hunsrueck-Hochwald National Park and 100 Years National Park Service

Already in the first year of its existence, the Hunsrueck-Hochwald National Park was selected by CNN International as one of the 10 most beautiful new nature reserves in the world, showing its immediate international recognition and attention. Early on, the National Park Friendship Association established contact with the US Consulate General in Frankfurt for a cooperation that would support the national park. Here, the motherland of National Parks, the United States, showed its interest in an alliance for protecting nature and history.

The National Park Service in the US has been devoted to preserving and protecting nature, landscape and historical landmarks for the coming generations. Founded in 1916, the National Park Service this year celebrates its 100th anniversary with 22,000 employees and more than 221,000 volunteers in 411 parks and historical sites. Among these are 59 national parks with a total of more than 338,000 square kilometers.

Therefore, the Hunsrueck-Hochwald National Park and its American partners share many common interests. This relationship between the organizations is symbolized by a baton, which will be handed over to the community of Schwollen on May 26, 2016. Schwollen will be the first organizer of the annual celebration of the founding of the Hunsrueck-Hochwald National Park. The baton stays at Schwollen and will be handed over to the next community after one year. On May 26, the community of Schwollen and the Friendship Association of the National Park will present an interesting and manifold program. They will be supported by the National Park Hunsrueck-Hochwald, the US Consulate General Frankfurt, the Atlantic Academy Rhineland-Palatinate, the German-American Institute Saarbruecken as well as friends and delegates from our neighboring National Parks of Schwarzwald and Kellerwald-Edersee.