Crane Days in the Lower Oder Valley National Park

Crane Migration in the Lower Oder Valley

The Lower Oder Valley on the German-Polish border is one of the most important resting areas for the Grey Crane in Central Europe. In October, more than 2,000 birds migrate over the vast polder meadows, fly in noisy wedges to their roosting sites on the flooded floodplain areas in the evening, and set off again at dawn for the maize stubble fields. The Lower Oder Valley National Park — Germany's only floodplain national park — is famous as the stage for this spectacle: observation towers in Stützkow and Mescherin are located directly on the main resting areas.

Two Weekends, Two Locations

The 2026 Crane Days take place over two consecutive weekends: 2–4 October and 9–11 October. The main venues are the Kanonenschuppen Gartz (Alter Sportplatz 6, 16307 Gartz/Oder) and the Kranichhof Mescherin (Knochenwinkel 2). The official opening will take place on Friday, 2 October at 3 p.m. in the Kanonenschuppen Gartz. Free shuttle buses will run between the two locations during the event days.

Program Highlights

The offer is deliberately diverse, blending nature experience with culture and family programs:

• Morning excursions in the first light of day to the cranes' departure sites, led by National Park rangers.
• Evening observations of the incoming birds at the roosting sites — the acoustic highlight of the festival.
• Canoe tours on the polder areas to the crane dormitories (approx. 3 hours, €55–60 adults, €35–40 youths, €20 children).
• Guided hikes through dry grasslands, floodplain forests, and polder landscapes.
• Lectures on crane biology, migration research, and floodplain conservation.
• Family program: puppet theatre, creative workshops, tracking.
• Concerts, including a choir concert in one of Gartz's churches.

German-Polish Natural Area

The Lower Oder Valley, as a cross-border protected area between Brandenburg and the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, is one of the best examples of active nature conservation in the German-Polish border region. The Crane Days deliberately leverage this character: Polish nature conservation partners are involved in the program, and some excursions cross the Oder.

Getting There and Behaviour in the National Park

Gartz can be reached from Berlin via the A11 and B113 in about one and a half hours. A connecting bus runs from Tantow station (RE3) to Gartz. Please observe the path regulations in the National Park: cranes are extremely sensitive to disturbance, and the marked observation points offer the best view without harming the birds.