Geoparks are regions that preserve geological and physiographic features and make them come alive. They offer extraordinary insights in geological history, nature culture and environmental education. The special thing about this: The activities take place together with the local people who can contribute their skills and thus create a regional identity.
Geoparks have interesting geological sights worth protecting, so-called "geotopes". As windows into the history of the earth, they offer exciting insights into the geological formation of the respective landscape. Just like plants and animals, geotopes are in need of protection because rock outcrops, minerals and soils can be threatened by destruction due to their rarity as well. Preserving and communicating these characteristics is one of the main tasks of a geopark.
VALUES
Sustainability means the long-term responsible use of our natural resources. Home can be interpreted in many ways and is much more than the care for tradition and familiarity. The values of the region that the GEOPARK would like to convey include, above all, the geological heritage, regional identity and awareness of resources.
KNOWLEDGE
The GEOPARK conveys scientific, cultural, and historic knowledge in a comprehensible way. The objective is to highlight des special features of the GEOPARK. As the well-known wildlife filmmaker Heinz Sielmann said: "Only those who know nature will protect it".
CHANGE
"The only constant in the universe is change." was already known by Heraclitus around 500 BC. One of the tasks of the GEOPARK is to establish the connections between the geofactors relief, climate, rock, soil, water balance, vegetation, and time, and to understand the cycles within the geosystems.
We have strong cooperation partners from the cities and municipalities at our side to help us in achieving our goals.
The vision of developing the Tharandt Forest region, located between the Saxon state capital of Dresden and the university and mining town of Freiberg, into a geopark has existed since 2001. The non-profit association "GEOPARK Sachsens Mitte e.V." was founded in July 2015 to inspire and promote this idea.
We want to enhance, shape and develop the region in the centre of Saxony as a tourist region through its geological diversity. We want to raise awareness of regional identity and showcase the beauty and uniqueness of our homeland. The geopark management plan developed in 2021 serves as a guideline on this path.
