The Southern Harz Nature Park is located in the district of Nordhausen in northern Thuringia.
The regulation of the nature park in the Harz Mountains came into force on December 31, 2010 and thus established the fifth nature park in Thuringia.
It is 267 km² in size.
The responsible body is the Südharzer Tourismusverband e. V. in coordination with the Kyffhäuser Nature Park.
The nature park includes parts of the southern slope of the Lower Harz Mountains, the gypsum karst landscape of the adjoining Zechstein belt and the transition area to the North Thuringian Buntsandsteinland.
In the south, the park is bordered by the valley of the Helme, on the other sides by the Thuringian state border.
Its western border is part of the Green Belt of Germany.
In the east it borders on the Karst Landscape South Harz Biosphere Reserve (Saxony-Anhalt), in the north on the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park and in the north-west on the Harz Nature Park (Lower Saxony).
The entire Harz is a large protected area, which also includes the Harz National Park.
In the nature park there are fading streams, karst springs, sink holes and dolines next to steep gypsum walls.
Due to the many caves, numerous species of bats live in the beech forests, which find suitable quarters there, including the barbastelle bat.
There are also occurrences of wild cats and lynx.
Dry grass areas with orchids are the remains of former pastures and meadows on the karst areas.
The highest point in the Southern Harz Nature Park is the Großer Ehrenberg (635.5 m above sea level).
(Source: Wikipedia)