Weltnaturerbe Buchenwälder

The history of the beech is closely linked with the cultural history of European civilisation. Postglacial recolonisation of the landscape by the beech took place in parallel to human settlement and the emergence of organised forms of society. The beech is therefore deeply rooted in our culture. Words such as Buch (book) and Buchstabe (letter) in German, as well as some 1500 place names in Germany alone, are derived from the word for beech (Buche). Examples of place names include Buchholz and Buchheide, and, in the Slavic form, Buckow. Central European myths, legends and fairy-tales also have their origins in the beech forests.

The beech forest was the natural and economic basis of people’s lives. It was here that they would find firewood and timber for building, forage for fungi and berries, and hunt game for food. The forest provided pasture for their animals and fodder for pig fattening. Beechnuts provided food for people and animals.