About a third of Germany is forest, and Germans use it. On a sunny Sunday, half the town is out on a Spaziergang, and the question on Monday is where you walked. The language has kept up: there's Wanderlust, the urge to hike, and Waldeinsamkeit, the peaceful feeling of being alone in the woods.
These are the words for what you'll see out there, the phrases for a day's hiking, and the signs that tell you what you may and may not do.
Landscape Words
nature
die Natur
landscape
die Landschaft
forest
der Wald
meadow
die Wiese
field
das Feld
mountain
der Berg
hill
der Hügel
valley
das Tal
summit
der Gipfel
river
der Fluss
stream
der Bach
lake
der See
sea
das Meer
coast
die Küste
beach
der Strand
island
die Insel
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die Natur
Watch out: der See is a lake, die See is the sea. Der Bodensee is Lake Constance, but die Nordsee and die Ostsee are the North Sea and the Baltic. If you hear Wir fahren an die See, pack for the coast, and for an den See, pack for a lake.
Trees and Plants
tree
der Baum
leaf
das Blatt
branch
der Ast
root
die Wurzel
flower
die Blume
grass
das Gras
moss
das Moos
mushroom
der Pilz
berry
die Beere
oak
die Eiche
beech
die Buche
spruce
die Fichte
pine
die Kiefer
birch
die Birke
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der Baum
Die or der? Most tree names are feminine: die Eiche, die Buche, die Birke. The maple, der Ahorn, is the best-known exception. Pine and spruce are the most common trees in German forests, followed by beech and oak.
Sky, Earth and Water
sky
der Himmel
sun
die Sonne
moon
der Mond
star
der Stern
air
die Luft
earth, soil
die Erde
stone
der Stein
rock
der Felsen
sand
der Sand
water
das Wasser
fire
das Feuer
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der Himmel
Himmel means both "sky" and "heaven". The sun is feminine and the moon is masculine, the reverse of French, Spanish and Italian.
Out Hiking
hike
die Wanderung
walk
der Spaziergang
hiking trail
der Wanderweg
signpost
der Wegweiser
viewpoint
der Aussichtspunkt
mountain hut
die Berghütte
hiking boots
die Wanderschuhe
rucksack
der Rucksack
nature reserve
das Naturschutzgebiet
national park
der Nationalpark
Practice these words
die Wanderung
Wandern or spazieren gehen? A Spaziergang is a stroll, an hour in ordinary shoes. A Wanderung takes half a day or more, with boots, a rucksack and a packed lunch. In Bavaria that lunch is a Brotzeit, and the best ones are eaten at a Hütte with a view.
Phrases for a Day Outdoors
We're going hiking.
Wir gehen wandern.
Let's go for a walk.
Lass uns spazieren gehen.
How far is it to the summit?
Wie weit ist es bis zum Gipfel?
Is the path difficult?
Ist der Weg schwer?
Which way is the lake?
Wo geht es zum See?
The view is beautiful.
Die Aussicht ist wunderschön.
I need a break.
Ich brauche eine Pause.
Is swimming allowed here?
Darf man hier baden?
Practice these words
Wir gehen wandern.
On the trail, everyone says hello. Hikers greet each other in passing: Hallo anywhere, Servus or Grüß Gott in Bavaria, Moin in the north. It stops at the car park.
What You May Do in a German Forest
Walking is a right. Forests are open to everyone for recreation, including privately owned ones, at your own risk. Bavaria even has it in its constitution: everyone may enjoy the beauty of nature.
Take a handful, not a basket. Picking wild flowers, berries and mushrooms in small amounts for yourself is allowed outside protected areas, as long as the species isn't protected. For mushrooms, know exactly what you're picking.
No tents, no fires. Wild camping is generally not allowed, and open fires are only for marked barbecue areas. Smoking in the forest is banned from March to October in many states, and all year in some.
Check for ticks. Zecken live in grass and undergrowth, and nearly all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, plus parts of other states, are risk areas for FSME, tick-borne encephalitis. Doctors recommend the vaccination if you're often outdoors there.
Signs You'll See on a Walk
| Sign | Means |
|---|---|
Naturschutzgebiet | nature reserve: stay on the paths, pick nothing |
Wege nicht verlassen | don't leave the paths |
Hunde an die Leine | dogs on a lead |
Waldbrandgefahr | danger of forest fire |
Baden verboten | no swimming |
Betreten verboten | no entry |
Privatweg | private path |
Kein Winterdienst | not gritted or cleared in winter |
Betreten auf eigene Gefahr | enter at your own risk |