description Bourtanger Moor Overview
Bourtanger Moor is a former raised bog spanning the border between the Netherlands and Germany. Historically, it was the largest contiguous raised bog in northwestern Europe before being extensively drained for agricultural use and peat extraction. Today, the remaining sections are protected within a cross-border nature park, where ongoing environmental restoration efforts aim to re-wet the landscape and preserve the surviving peatland ecosystems.
help Bourtanger Moor FAQ
Where was the Bourtanger Moor located?
The former raised bog stretched across the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen and the German districts of Emsland and Grafschaft Bentheim. The remaining landscape is now associated with the cross-border Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen nature park. [Bourtanger Moor Nature Park](https://www.naturpark-moor.eu/en/naturpark/charakter)
Why did most of the Bourtanger Moor disappear?
Large-scale drainage, peat extraction, settlement, and agricultural conversion transformed the bog from the mid-19th century onward. The nature park describes the original raised bog as covering about 1,200 square kilometers before cultivation. [Bourtanger Moor Nature Park](https://www.naturpark-moor.eu/en/naturpark/charakter)
What remains of the Bourtanger Moor today?
Important remnants include the Dutch Bargerveen reserve and restored German moorland within the Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park, founded in 2006. Visitors can find nature trails on both sides of the border, including about 30 kilometers of hiking trails in Bargerveen. [Bourtanger Moor Nature Park](https://www.naturpark-moor.eu/en/naturpark/charakter) [Germany Travel](https://www.germany.travel/en/nature-outdoor-activities/bourtanger-moor-international-nature-park.html)
Is the Bourtanger Moor still one untouched continuous bog?
No, most of the original bog has become a mixed cultural landscape of farms, peat-cutting areas, drainage canals, heath, and smaller restored moors. Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation describes the present landscape as about 217 square kilometers with only partly connected remnants. [German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation](https://www.bfn.de/landschaftssteckbriefe/bourtanger-moor)
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