Between the Elbe estuary and the Danish border, the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park protects 4,380 square kilometres of tidal flats, sea, beaches and salt marshes. Established in 1985 and enlarged under a new park law in 1999, it is Germany’s largest national park by area. This is not a fenced attraction with one entrance: it is a working coastal region where tides, weather, wildlife and local communities shape how visitors can experience the protected landscape.
The Wadden Sea formed after the last Ice Age, as rising water and deposited sediments created shallow coastal habitats. Twice-daily tidal movements expose and cover mudflats, channels and sandbanks, while salt marshes and beaches mark the shifting edge between land and sea. The wider Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage property shared by Germany and the Netherlands, later extended to include Denmark. The Schleswig-Holstein park is one protected part of this connected natural system, not a synonym for every island and town along the coast.
