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Bamberg celebrates: Breitenau becomes the city's largest nature reserve!
With the Breitenau, Bamberg has designated a new nature reserve that combines ecological diversity and sustainable use.
Bamberg celebrates: Breitenau becomes the city's largest nature reserve!
On October 31, 2025, an important chapter in nature conservation was opened in Bamberg. With the official inauguration by Mayor Andreas Starke and District President Florian Luderschmid, the “Breitenau” received the status of the third and largest nature reserve in the city. This area, which covers around 80 hectares, extends around the special landing site and represents a unique combination of ecological diversity and continued active use by aviation operations. According to Wiesentbote The Breitenau protects the largest sand habitat in the city and at the same time ensures the continued existence of flight operations in Bamberg.
The road to designating this valuable area was long and rocky. There have been calls for a nature reserve at Breitenau airfield since 1992. The importance of this area as a “biodiversity hotspot” has been repeatedly emphasized by nature conservation associations. In total, experts were able to discover 395 plant species during the urban biotope mapping, including 71 species that are considered endangered, such as the sand thrush and the silver grass. How BUND Nature Conservation reported, these plants stand alongside a variety of rare animals, including natterjacks, woodlarks and snipes, which find a home in the protected biotopes.
A significant step for nature conservation
The designation of the nature reserve not only represents an important success for conservationists, but also reflects the commitment of many citizens. A citizens' application from 2019, which collected over 1,400 signatures, was crucial for the breakthrough. The cooperation between the city of Bamberg, the government of Upper Franconia and various nature conservation associations was essential. Loud Wiesentbote After more than 30 years, the appropriate steps towards expulsion could finally be implemented.
The area is characterized by immense ecological diversity. Experts estimate that over 500 plant species could occur here. These typical biotope types, such as sandy grasslands and ponds, offer numerous creatures the opportunity to develop optimally. In addition, the areas are not only important as a nature reserve, but the close connection with the residents also ensures flight operations in Bamberg.
A look into history
The history of Breitenau shows a remarkable change. The Breitensee was formerly located here, which was later used for military purposes. In 1969, a base for the Bavarian Air Rescue Squadron was built here. Over the years, many habitats have lost their value, due to runway extensions and climate change, among other things. With the commitment of everyone involved, attempts are now being made to counteract this development.
The Breitenau is now almost twice as large as the previous nature reserves “Wolfsruhe” and “Muna”, bringing the total area under strict nature conservation in Bamberg to around 125 hectares. The chairman of BUND Nature Conservation Bamberg, Erich Spranger, highlights the outstanding biodiversity and encourages people to see the area not only as a nature conservation area, but also as part of the region's cultural identity. This designation is also an important step within the framework of the “SandAxis Franconia” project, which aims to network Bavaria’s most valuable sand habitats.