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Swiss national park (Schweizerischer Nationalpark) is the only national park in the south. It is located in the Engadin Valley area (Engadin), and is located at altitudes from 1400 to 3200 meters above sea level. Its area is more than 170 square kilometers, and it is also the oldest national park in the Alps.

This amazing place primeval nature, where everyone can enjoy alpine meadows, forests, mountain slopes and simply picturesque views. Many species of wild animals and birds live here. For every nature lover, the national park has developed many hiking trails and excursion routes. This place is definitely worth a visit if you are traveling in Switzerland.

Swiss National Park: How to get there

The most convenient way to get to the municipality of Zernez (Zernez), where the main entrance to the Swiss National Park is located. In addition, it is highly recommended to use public transport in order to preserve the purity of the park's nature.

Automobile. The distance between Zurich and Zernez is about 178 kilometers. The journey will take you about 2.5 hours along the A3 and No. 28 highways. The car will need to be left in the parking lot.

Next you need to get to the information center (Nationalparkzentrum) where the main entrance to the park is located. It is located at: Urtatsch 2, Zernez 7530, Switzerland. You can go by car or take a taxi.

Swiss National Park: Lifehacks

From the very beginning of learning Swiss national park worth a visit to the information center (Nationalparkzentrum), where there is also a museum, exhibitions, and you can book a guided tour. There you will get acquainted with information for tourists, and by visiting the museum, you will have the opportunity to learn the history of the national park, its features and learn about its inhabitants. Admission ticket costs 7 EUR for adults, 3 EUR for children 6-16 years old, and free for children under 6 years old. It is possible to take a family ticket for 15 EUR. Information on prices for tours, the museum, as well as contacts and descriptions can be found on the official website of the Swiss National Park.

Next, you can take a walk through the park itself. You can book a sightseeing tour or take a walking on one's own. About 80 kilometers of hiking trails and 21 routes will be available to you. You should also prepare in advance and take sunscreen and glasses, a raincoat, a change of clothes and shoes, food and water. There are also some rules that must be strictly followed. For example, you cannot pick mushrooms and flowers, use a bicycle, or bring pets with you.

Switzerland is a small country by European standards, so it is not surprising that the national natural Park there's only one here. By the way, that’s what it’s called: a Swiss national park. At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory of today's park was subjected to so-called industrialization.

This term, translated into normal language, means total production natural resources. And after the latter were almost completely used, someone came up with the idea: “Shouldn’t we create a national natural park here?”


And since this idea did not at all contradict the democratic principles of building a society, it fell on fertile soil and is still there today. In any case, in 1914 it was completely prohibited on its territory economic activity.

And after some time, the creation of a national park was announced. And the reason for creating the park was announced: the need to study nature’s ability to recover.



The park is located in the Engadin Valley area and its total area is 172.4 square kilometers. Moreover, all of it is located within altitudes from 1400 meters above sea level to 3174 meters.

Its second name is Engodin Park, due to the fact that it occupies the southern slopes of the valley of the same name. This park became the first alpine reserve in Europe created in a place actively developed by man.


What to see.



Since human economic activity in the park is prohibited in any field of activity, this fact had a very favorable effect on the animal world of the park. At least not everyone nature reserve today can boast of the presence of more than 60 species of mammals.

Among the latter there are such rare species today as the alpine ibex, chamois, alpine marten, lynx, brown bear and a considerable number of others, among which there is even the endemic alpine newt.



It is clear that such types of illegal fishing as poaching are unacceptable here. Moreover, there are many prohibitions in the park that are not very easy to explain by Slavic logic.

In particular, it is prohibited to ride a bicycle in the park, make loud noises, or sleep in tents. Moreover, fines here are issued not by the human traffic police, but by the strict and incorruptible park security service.



But the most important asset in the park is considered to be 21 walking route. Their total length is 80 kilometers and they fully represent the opportunity to admire the beauty of these places and see local inhabitants in their natural conditions.

It is also interesting that entrance to the park is absolutely free, which is quite rare for Switzerland. In addition, along its perimeter there are 9 parking lots, which are also free and have their own routes departing from them.

The park is open from June to October, so everyone is asked to hurry up, otherwise the protracted economic crisis may make its own not-so-good changes to such a prosperous and cheap place.



The most interesting thing is that opposite the southern slopes of the Engadin valley are the northern slopes. So, on these slopes there is also a nature reserve created in 2006. His name is regional park Ela.

It covers the territory of the local mountain range between the peaks of Ela and Kesh. Its area is 600 square kilometers and here human economic activity is allowed on a limited scale.


Its last feature in particular allows you to ride along railway Rhaetische Bahn, which is included in the UNESCO lists. Its length is 63 kilometers. It would seem that this is there, if not for 55 bridges and 39 tunnels, which are also included in the route.

But actually there’s nothing to say about the views of the Engadin Mountains, because you have to see it. Besides this there is ski resorts, on which the fashion for skiing from year to year does not go away.



There is another popular natural park in Switzerland, the Jura. Apparently it was named after the first cosmonaut on Earth. It is located along the coast Lake Geneva from Le Sentier to Nyon. The pearls of the park are the Jura Mountains and one of the most beautiful valleys in Switzerland, the Joux Valley.



Despite the fairly populated area, there is a very rich world of flora and fauna. And in Lake Zhu there are over 50 species of fish. As elsewhere in Switzerland, there is an excellent network of hiking and skiing routes. Their total length is 523 kilometers.

And the local catering industry in the form of restaurants and cafes will add color. There are also cycling routes here, which are especially popular among lovers of foot-powered two-wheeled vehicles. Search for cheap hotels.


How to get there.

The best option active rest in the Engadin National Park, there will be a stop in St. Moritz. This area has very developed infrastructure and anyone who suffers from natural spectacles will feel comfortable here.

The main mode of transport for arriving at the resort of St. Moritz is the railway. The most convenient train is from Zurich, which goes every hour to Chur. In the latter there is a transfer to St. Moritz. From Chur, trains leave once an hour, starting at 13.58 and ending at 17.58.

In the Engadin Valley, which belongs to Switzerland, there is a Swiss National Park. This reserve was founded in 1914 and occupied an area of ​​172.4 km 2. The park includes an area covered by the Alps, the height of which, in this area, ranges from 1400 to 3174 meters above sea level.

The terrain of the Swiss National Park is quite diverse, because it includes forests, meadows, mountains, and water covers. Also, quite rich, is animal world reserve. The local nature develops on its own, because human hands do not touch it. There are at least 650 different plants in this area. Among them, typical representatives of the protected area are alpine edelweiss, which people have collected in baskets for centuries in a row. This perennial herb with white-coated upper leaves grows on the slopes of limestone mountains. Quite high in the mountains you can see the alpine poppy, which with its roots strengthens the local loose soil. Tourists are very attracted to the plant, which grows up to 40 cm and has a yellowish-orange color. This is a local Artemisia ragus, whose home is the mountainous area in the east, near the Inn River.

The mountain forest cover in this area plays a very important role in nature, because it not only cleans the air of the park, but also protects the area from avalanches. The forest in this area is represented by such tree species as pine, cedar, larch, and spruce.

The local alpine meadows simply fascinate with the variety of blooming flowers. It is impossible to count the varieties of these wild plants, including buttercups, edelweiss, and gentian.

The highlands of the Swiss national park are characterized by dry climatic conditions and poor soil. It is difficult for plants and animals to adapt to life in this area due to constant winds, soil erosion, and low air temperatures.

In Swiss national reserve you can see enough animals close range. Goats, deer, hares, marmots and many other four-legged animals are common here. The silence in the park is broken by the singing of birds, of which there is quite a wide variety in these lands.

Tourists who have visited the reserve in Switzerland are offered a walk along a specially designed hiking trail. But here it is strictly forbidden to make fires, pitch tents, ride bicycles, or generally leave behind any traces of your stay. For each offense, you will have to pay a fine.

A walk in the park will definitely delight you with its pristine natural beauty, no matter what time you come here. But, nevertheless, the trip will be more exciting in the spring-summer season, when local mountains covered with carpets of wild flowers.

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Hiking is one of the most popular ways to spend leisure time in the country - more than 50 thousand (!!) kilometers of marked footpaths are laid across Switzerland - this is 1.25 times the length of the Earth's equator. For such a small country, the figure is simply incredible, but it will become even greater if you take into account about 23 thousand kilometers of specialized mountain routes with more high level difficulties, as well as an unimaginable number of trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, dog sledding and horseback riding, as well as about 4 thousand trails for water tourism. All this turns Switzerland into one of best places in Europe for active recreation and ecotourism.

Swiss national park

Despite the very modest size of the country, protected areas occupy, to one degree or another, up to 14% of its area. And at the same time there is only one full-fledged nature reserve - the Swiss National Park, or Engadin Park (www.nationalpark.ch), created in 1914 in the eastern part of the canton of Grisons, on southern slopes Engadin Valley. This is the first alpine reserve in Central Europe, moreover, created in an area intensively developed by man. In 1979, it was included in the UNESCO list of biosphere reserves, along with the adjacent Italian Stelvio National Park.

Here, on an area of ​​more than 172 square kilometers, the unique natural complexes of the Rhaetian Alps are protected - mountain pine forests, alpine and subalpine meadows, as well as numerous lakes and wastelands, and almost half of this territory is secondary forests, recreated after the cessation of human economic activity. The fauna of the park is very rich - more than 60 species of mammals (including the Alpine ibex, chamois, stone marten, Alpine marmot, lynx, brown bear and others), about 100 species of birds, as well as about 70 species of amphibians, including the endemic Alpine triton. Despite the fact that literally everything here is protected (a fine can be issued even for loud noises!), 21 walking excursion trails with a total length of about 80 km have been laid across the territory, which allow you to see the life of the inhabitants of these beautiful places. But cycling within the park is prohibited.

Entrance to the park is free and free; along its perimeter there are nine equally free parking lots, from which most of the trails and routes depart. The reserve is open to the public from June to October every day, from 8.30 to 18.00, on Thursdays - until 22.00.

You can get to the park by buses running at hourly intervals between the towns of Zernez (the park's head office is 1 km east of it) and Mustair.

Ela Park

Switzerland's largest and youngest regional nature park, Ela (Parc Ela, www.parc-ela.ch) begins just 18 km from the northwestern border of the Swiss National Park. It was created in 2006 as an area protecting the untouched peace of the vast mountain range between the peaks of Piz Ela (3339 m) and Kesch (3417 m). The area of ​​the reserve is 600 square kilometers, which is 3.5 times larger than the area of ​​the Engadin National Park, and here human economic activity is allowed on a limited scale. This means that in Ela Park, in addition to exploring the magnificent nature of the northern slopes of the Engadin, you can take a ride on the Rhaetische Bahn railway, included in the List World Heritage UNESCO (55 bridges and 39 tunnels over a 63 km length throughout the park, there is nothing to say about the beauty of the landscapes!), go skiing on the slopes of Savognin, Samedan, Celerina, Pontresina or St. Moritz (all these resorts are literally within 15- 20 minutes by car from the most beautiful places in the park), relax on the shores of Lake Marmorera (Lai da Marmorera) or visit the highest place of pilgrimage in Europe - the Ziteil Sanctuary (founded in 1580, altitude - 2434 meters above sea level) near Salouf.

Entlebuch

Well, the most easily accessible nature reserve in the country is the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve (www.biosphaere.ch), located in the canton of Lucerne, just 20 km southwest of its capital. This is the first and only park of this type in central Switzerland. Here, on the most picturesque slopes of the Kleine Emme valley, on an area of ​​395 square kilometers, landscapes quite unusual for the country are presented - endless peat bogs and heathers, idyllic alpine pastures and forests, rocky karst formations and picturesque wild mountains. These regions are often figuratively called the “Wild West of Lucerne” - the local natural complexes are so diverse and beautiful. And at the same time, there is a huge selection of services, hotels and mountain chalets, many old churches and monasteries, about 75 km of hiking trails and even therapeutic mud baths at local thermal springs.

Jura National Park

Green slopes stretch from Le Sentier to Nyon on the shores of Lake Geneva Jura National Park(Parc naturel régional Jura vaudois) www.parc-jurassien.ch - second in the country in size and richness of flora. Despite the dense population of these places, it was possible to preserve many local natural complexes, characteristic of the low Jurassic Mountains and the famous Vallée de Joux, considered one of the most beautiful in Switzerland. Among the beauties of these places are beautiful mountain forests (the composition of the flora is one of the richest in the region - more than 320 species), ancient swamps, limestone cliffs, secluded meadows and mountain pastures. More than 90 species of mammals and 160 species of birds live here, and the picturesque Lake Zhu has almost 50 species of fish. Since there is an excellent network of hiking and skiing routes with a total length of 523 km (!!), there are many colorful Alpine cheese factories and vineyards, restaurants and chalets, the park is extremely popular among fans of hiking, horseback riding and cycling tourism, and in winter it becomes one of the best centers mountain holiday- it is quite obvious that he is targeting not skiers, but fans of snowshoes and cross-country skiing.

There are literally dozens of ways to get to the park, since it is located next to the main transport arteries of the country. By rail, the easiest way to get from Nyon is by train Nyon - St-Cergue with stops in Bassins, Arzier, St-Cergue and Givrine or by train Nyon - Gimel with stops in Bassins, Vaud, Marchissy, Longirod, St-George and Gimel . When departing from Vallorbe - by train to Brassus, from Morges - by BAM train to Bière et l "Isle with a stop in Montricher. Travel options are equally varied on public transport of all major cities Canton of Vaud

 

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