Kellerwald-Edersee National Park

Name

Kellerwald-Edersee National Park

Legal name

Nationalparkamt Kellerwald-Edersee

Website

https://nationalpark-kellerwald-edersee.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Park & Nature Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB), Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ), Safari Parks & Drive-Through Wildlife Parks (THAAAFAD), National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Nature conservation services
• Environmental education programs
• National park management
• Wildlife park operations
• UNESCO World Heritage site

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Wildungen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: Primary funding comes from the Hessian state government through the Nationalparkamt Kellerwald-Edersee. The park is administered as a government agency under the Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz.
2. WildnisNacht Overnight Programs: Fee-based overnight wilderness experience programs for school groups: €20 per child, €40 per adult, including 4 meals. Two-day expeditions from 10:00 to 17:00 the following day.
3. WildtierPark Edersee Admission: Entry fees to the WildtierPark Edersee wildlife park, which houses 21 native animal species including red deer, wolves, wisent, lynx, and birds of prey. The park features a falconry show as a major attraction.
4. Guided Tours and Educational Programs: Bookable ranger-led tours and educational modules for schools and kindergartens. Most educational programs in the BuchenHaus, NationalparkZentrum, and park area are free for school groups as part of the educational mandate.
5. Infomaterial and Merchandise Sales: Brochures, educational materials, and merchandise available through the information material ordering platform on the nationalpark-kellerwald-edersee.de website and at visitor centers.
6. Partner Betriebe Network: Certification and partnership program for regional businesses (hotels, restaurants, tour operators) that meet national park standards. Partner businesses pay for certification and benefit from the national park brand association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee is Germany's only national park in Hesse, protecting 7,688 hectares of ancient beech forests designated as UNESCO World Heritage since 2011. The park operates a network of visitor facilities including the NationalparkZentrum Kellerwald with exhibitions and VR modules, the WildtierPark Edersee housing 21 native species with falconry shows, the 66km Urwaldsteig Edersee hiking trail, and educational centers (BuchenHaus, WildnisSchule, KellerwaldUhr). It delivers environmental education through Junior Ranger programs, Nationalpark-Kita partnerships, ranger-led guided tours, WildnisNacht overnight experiences, and conservation research via the nationwide KI-Nationalpark AI monitoring system.

Product overview

The Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee is Germany's only national park in Hesse, protecting 7,688 hectares of ancient beech forests and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011. The park operates a network of visitor facilities centered around the NationalparkZentrum Kellerwald with its new experience rotundas, the WildtierPark Edersee showcasing native wildlife species, and the BuchenHaus with WildnisSchule for educational programs. Key attractions include the 66-kilometer Urwaldsteig Edersee hiking trail and the Greifenwarte Edersee birds of prey show. The park offers environmental education services through Junior Ranger programs, Nationalpark-Kitas partnerships, and structured school programs including overnight wilderness experiences. Digital engagement includes the Actionbound app for self-guided tours. A major AI initiative (KI-Nationalpark) is deploying camera traps and audio loggers across the park for biodiversity and climate monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NationalparkZentrum Kellerwald: Visitor center providing information about the national park, exhibitions, and educational programs.
• WildtierPark Edersee
• BuchenHaus
• KellerwaldUhr
• WildnisSchule
• Greifenwarte Edersee

Quantifiable outcome

• Species count increased from 8,500 to over 11,000 documented species
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026NABU's Bahnhofsbonus (rail bonus) project enables railway passengers to convert bonus points into donations funding living stream restoration in the Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee as part of the Fahrtziel Natur program.
• Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. (NNL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025NNL is the coordinating organization for the nationwide KI-Nationalpark AI monitoring project involving 13 German national parks and 2 wilderness areas. NNL coordinates strategic conservation programs including NNL-Programm 2030 and manages the Stiftung Nationale Naturlandschaften gGmbH foundation for protected area support.
• Universität FreiburgcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2025University of Freiburg is the academic partner for the KI-Nationalpark project, responsible for camera trap data analysis and AI species identification technology development.
• biometrio.earth GmbHcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2025Technology company providing acoustic monitoring equipment (audio loggers) for the KI-Nationalpark project, processing ambient sound data for AI-based species detection.
• Greifenwarte Edersee (Falconry)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2025Falconry operation providing daily flight shows (11:00 and 15:00) at WildtierPark Edersee. New operator Jana Zulauf took over in April 2024 following founder Ludger Kluthausen's retirement after 26 years. Major visitor attraction.
• Nationaler Geopark GrenzWeltenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Cooperative partnership with the Geopark GrenzWelten for designation of Blockschutthalden am Edersee as Geotope of the Year 2025, joint events on geotope awareness day, and geological heritage preservation.
• Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (JLU) - AG FeuersalamandercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Research partnership with JLU Gießen's fire salamander working group for Bsal (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) fungus monitoring and early warning system. The partnership enabled first detection of the deadly fungus in the park.
• Nationalpark HainichmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Joint ranger workshop 'Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung im Weltnaturerbe Buchenwälder' with rangers from both UNESCO World Heritage sites, developing shared educational materials and methods for World Heritage beech forest interpretation.
• Avacon (Netzbetreiber)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Avacon, the power grid operator, partnered with the national park to use Exmoor ponies and Sorraia horses for ecological management of a 110kV power line corridor near Waldeck. This solution prevents vegetation interference with power lines while supporting conservation grazing of heath and grassland habitats.
• Naturpark Kellerwald-EderseecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint partner certification program with the adjacent Nature Park Kellerwald-Edersee - the first joint certification of partner businesses by two major protected areas in Germany. Combined event calendar and marketing collaboration.
• Museum Koenig BonnmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Museum Koenig research team discovered previously unknown Anacharis martinae wasp species in the Banfe floodplain forest of the protected area, contributing to biodiversity documentation.
• Hessische Zentrale für Datenverarbeitung (HZD)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZD provides technical hosting and IT infrastructure for the national park website and digital services, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and data protection regulations.
• Edersee Marketing GmbHmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism marketing organization collaborating on event promotion, visitor information, and joint marketing initiatives including the 15 Jahre Welterbe celebration coverage.
• Bund-Länder-Lenkungsgruppe Weltnaturerbe BuchenwäldercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal-state coordination group for UNESCO World Heritage beech forests comprising 5 German protected areas (Nationalparks Kellerwald-Edersee, Hainich, Müritz, Jasmund, Biosphärenreservat Schorfheide-Chorin) and 4 federal states, coordinating joint educational materials and conservation strategies.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nationalpark Jasmund: UNESCO World Heritage beech forest site on Rügen Island. Part of the same Bund-Länder-Lenkungsgruppe Weltnaturerbe Buchenwälder coordination structure as Kellerwald-Edersee.
• Nationalpark Müritz: Largest German national park by area and fellow UNESCO World Heritage beech forest site. Direct coordination peer through the federal-state Weltnaturerbe group.
• Nationalpark Hainich: Germany's other UNESCO World Heritage beech forest national park in Thuringia. Joint ranger workshops and Weltnaturerbe Buchenwälder co-coordination make it the closest operational and thematic peer.
• Naturpark Kellerwald-Edersee: Adjacent nature park that operates the first joint Nationalpark/Naturpark partner business certification program in Germany. Shares combined event calendar and marketing collaboration.

Broad incumbents

• Nationalpark Berchtesgaden: One of Germany's oldest Alpine national parks with comparable visitor infrastructure, partner business programs, and educational offerings - a useful operational benchmark.
• Nationalpark Harz: Established German national park with similar visitor center architecture, ranger programs, and regional tourism partnerships; comparable peer in operational scale.
• Nationalpark Schwarzwald: Another German national park participating in the KI-Nationalpark AI monitoring project and comparable in visitor infrastructure (centers, wilderness programs, partner businesses).
• Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald: Germany's oldest national park and a pioneer in KI-Nationalpark AI monitoring. Comparable in operational scope and part of the same nationwide AI monitoring consortium.
• Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz: Comparable German national park with similar visitor center, ranger, and educational program structure, plus participation in the joint Weltnaturerbe Buchenwälder coordination.

Others

• Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. Umbrella organization coordinating all 13 KI-Nationalpark sites and the NNL-Programm 2030; effectively the strategic umbrella over Kellerwald's AI monitoring initiative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Nationalparkamt
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalpark.kellerwald.edersee
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalpark_kellerwaldedersee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nationalpark-kellerwald-edersee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kellerwald-Edersee National Park