bushcraft in germany is it legal?

[keyser Soze]

i am currently living in germany and i am a very keen bushcrafter but i was wondering if it is illegal to conduct the fantastic art that is bushcraft in germany.

if anyone has any info i would be very grateful.


keyser.

 

[malente]

You can IM me auf Deutsch with specific questions if you like.

Short answer is: it depends what you understand under the term 'bushcraft'

Lighting fire is a no no in many places. For hunting and shooting you have to have license etc.

But hanging around in the woods with your fatigues (or bushcrafter green) is not illegal.

Mike

 

[keyser Soze]

ok great so how are you supposed to practise bushcraft with no fire

me and my frau are taking a trip to the harz this weekend and wanted to be sure what we could and couldnt do before we went.

im from the scotland and i know that you can roam free and light fires but wasnt sure of germany.

keyser.

 

[malente]

Oh the Harz is lovely, where are you going?

The eastern part is a lot wilder (well it was shortly after the reunification, anyway).

You can still do lots of bushcrafty things, though I agree a fire is often the heart and soul (and cooking unit, and heater, and smoker, and... ) of the camp.

You can inquire at the local tourist board (don't have a link sorry).

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Mike

 

[keyser Soze]

ok thanks very much for your help, i will enquire at the local tourist board.

 

[spamel]

I was based in Germany for seven years or so, Hameln and Hohne. I used to Bushcraft in the local woods and often lit a fire. This was before I knew the law, but I never had a problem and people often walked by and just gave a smile and a nod. Now, if you get caught by the authorities it could be quite a hefty fine, one of my mates works on the GGS and he got caught doing just that once. The fine mentioned was in the thousands of euros band! The Ranger (Can't remember the proper name) saw that the fire was well looked after though and that my mate was gonna clear it up to leave no trace so just warned him to be careful in future.

The gamble is yours to take though, but there are large secluded woods in Germany all over the place. I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[forrestdweller]

i am currently living in germany and i am a very keen bushcrafter but i was wondering if it is illegal to conduct the fantastic art that is bushcraft in germany.

if anyone has any info i would be very grateful.


keyser.

my deepest condolences.
firemaking is prohibited in the very most places, wild camping everywhere(according to my knowledge!), for fishing and hunting you need a license...
OHH... and you might get treated hostile for your hobby...


"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain
who said also(hopefully translated correct!): "the german language should be shelved soft and awed to the dead languages, because only the dead have the time to learn this language."

 

[Mikey P]

I lived in the Pfalzerwald for a couple of years. Like Spamel, I found that people were generally sympathetic to 'bushcrafting' and certainly foraging as long as you were 'covert' (not sure if that's the right word?). Fires are a bit of a dodgy area - I mostly used a small gas stove but occasionally lit a small fire if the weather had been wet and there was no chance of forest fire. I use to see a lot of portable/'one-use' bbqs left around in some areas (leave no trace, my ar*e!) so I know it wasn't just me and I was far less intrusive on the landscape.

I guess it's a common sense thing again. If you can, try and get to know the local forest warden/s and they'll tell you when the dangerous times are (hunting, forest fires, tree felling) and maybe point you towards an area you can use.

Basically, you don't need fire to practice bushcraft.

PS - Is there no Shift key on your keyboard?

 

[Tony]

Mike's mentioned the fire thing - It's an aspect of bushcraft, not essential, there's so much as well as fire. Foraging, carving, shelters, water, cordage, walking, tracking, photography, first aid, flora & Fauna ID, making tools and equipment, using tools etc etc I bet there's a fantastic history of bushcraft in the area that you could learn about, much of bushcraft is traditional skills lost through time.

Just an opinion, fire is great and knowing it is important but it's not everything and it doesn't prevent you getting out and enjoying what is available to you.

 

[keyser Soze]

Thanks for the advice guys very helpful and im very grateful too.

i will explore every aspect of bushcraft it will take me a long time im sure but im really excited about learning new skills and keeping old ones alive.

keyser.

 

[spamel]

Seeing how you are in Bergen, get in your car and head towards Soltau, past the War Cemetery and turn off towards the big lake, can't remember the name of it but the blokes used to go there in the summer for a swim. Sudsee? Something like that! You'll be on a straight stretch and the road crosses above a railway track on a bend. Come back about 200 metres from the bend and there is a track at right angles crossing the road. Turn right and park up, then venture into the woodland and there are deer, wild boar and Wald Adler flying about all over the place. I used to camp in there all the time, I'd light small fires and had no problems whatsoever. If you go to the Engineers on camp and ask around about my name, a few blokes may remember me. One lad who is a member on here is still out there, but I don't think he comes onto the forums anymore as he hasn't got anybody to drag him out now. It's a shame as he knows all of my good areas. If you want, we can go to PM and I can give you some pointers on places for parasol and boletus mushrooms, a massive herd of deer and an old fixed camp that I'd love to know if it is still standing!

 

[Tony]

If you go to the Engineers on camp and ask around about my name, a few blokes may remember me.

Infamy, who could forget :swordfigh

 

[BushrangerCZ]

Hello, I am from Czech rep., but I am pretty sure the law is the same here as in Germany in this matter. You can hunt only with license (it takes pretty rigorous learning and exam to became a hunter here, hunters have their own "class A" uniforms, and it is very traditional), fishing is similar problem but not so tough, no fires in the woods, but you have the right to enter every forest you want to and gather fallen wood, berries and mushrooms, except for forests with special purposes (military training areas, nature reserves and national parks etc., and this areas are marked on the ground as well as on touristic maps). I am very keen bushcrafter and never had a problem. Just keep low profile, don´t leave trash, don´t get noisy and you´re fine.

 

[garethw]

don´t leave trash, don´t get noisy and you´re fine.

I think this is the by word everywhere.. Its the same in France, wild camping is illegal and fires often are.. but if you are sensible, set up late and leave early, you can camp & light fires in most places. The problem is that thousands of hectares of land are burned every year by mindless arsonists...so they ban fires.
Yet how many of us leave a spot leaving a potentially dangerous fire? We end up paying for the nutters.

I tend to apply the general French way of doing things.. "You just get on and live do what you want until some authority tells you you can't !" We've done this for years, fishing and camping and using fires... If you are respectful and discreat..noone ever notices.

Cheers
Gareth

 

[Sniper]

Instead of an open fire why don't you just take a small BBQ with you still an open fire but enclosed and secure, I'm quite sure you'd be fine with that. I spent about 11 years over there and camped many times around Soltau, Sennelager, Minden, Detmold and the Harz region (first wife was from Lemgo). Wildlife is fantastic and the forests are stunning.

 

[barbourdurham]

ressurecting an old thread!

wild campng etc in Germany now, does anyone know the current laws regarding bushcraft and wild camping?