Observation tower in Mescherin

The observation tower in Mescherin allows tourists visiting the national park to look out over the Staffelder polder from a height of 11 m.

The newest observation tower in the Unteres Odertal National Park is located right next to the Oder River, north of the Mescheriner Grenzbrücke border bridge. It has a slender shape and an arched roof, reminiscent of the wings of cranes. It is thus an architectural attraction on the northern edge of the large protected area. The viewing platform, located at a height of 11 m, offers a magnificent view of the Staffelder Polder.

Here, visitors can see the future of the Oder Valley. For 20 years, wild nature has been able to develop peacefully and undisturbed on the Staffelder Polder. The landscape is dominated by reed beds covering large areas of land intersected by watercourses. When the protected area was created in 1995, the use of this northernmost polder for economic purposes was stopped in the national park. The 63-hectare area was thus returned to nature. It is one of the oldest wilderness areas in the Unteres Odertal National Park. In 1999, the embankment on the Oder River bordering the polder was cut in three places and completely removed over a total length of 200 m. As a result, the water of the Oder can now spread freely in this area in the event of flooding. This has created the natural conditions necessary for the formation of a floodplain marsh fed by flood waters. In the foreseeable future, the once drained area will regain its most important ecological functions, such as binding nutrients from the Oder and storing carbon dioxide. In addition, a living marsh can accumulate water. During periods of high water, it absorbs water, which it then gradually releases during periods of drought. Nature observers will find, among other things, crane roosts here. The embankment cut cost €230,000. It was possible to implement it as a compensatory and replacement measure as part of the raising of the embankments on the Oder. The total cost of the observation tower in Mescherin is approximately €260,000. Larch wood from Brandenburg forests was used for its construction. The tower was built thanks to EU aid funds as part of the Polish-German INTERREG project implemented by the Unteres Odertal National Park and the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Szczecin.

The observation tower stands at the junction of the Unteres Odertal National Park and the Polish Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park. It is easy to get there: take the B 2 and B 113 federal roads to the bridge over the Oder River in Mescherin and park in the national park car park at the entrance to Mescherin. From there, you can walk to the observation tower, which is located about 150 m from the parking lot, directly north of the bridge on the banks of the Oder. The bridge in Mescherin also allows you to cross to the eastern side of the Lower Oder Valley.