For many years the military determined the history of the area. It was used from the thirties as a tank training ground for the Wehrmacht, then after 1945 the area was taken over by the Red Army. From 1965 onwards the National People’s Army of the GDR also used the area for training. The civil population was excluded and as a result of the division of Germany the whole area was out of the way and isolated as it was only a few kilometres from the former inner German border, the so-called “Iron Curtain”.   

It was only after the political change in Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany in 1990 that Hainich became of interest for the population again. The time of the military in Hainich was gone. After the first excursions to Hainich it quickly became clear to nature protection specialists that an extremely valuable nature paradise had developed here in the shadow of the Iron Curtain. There was, however, damage to certain small areas due to the tanks and shelling. However, it was more important that hardly any forestry had taken place in the large wooded parts of the military training area. This meant that nature had been able to develop over the past fifty years creating what is very close to natural forests – something that disappeared a long time ago in central Europe. 

Due to forest clearing for military use there were large open spaces which show now an impressive re-foresting process. Similar processes can also be seen on the shooting ranges which were kept short by sheep grazing. Due to these disturbances the former military site presents itself to the observer as a colourful habitat mosaic consisting of barren grassy areas on the edges which are interspersed with numerous pools as well as smaller and larger bushes and undergrowth, these areas are adjacent to areas of larger bushes which merge into a large variety of deciduous trees of different types and structures which house a large proportion of dead wood.   

With the withdrawal of the military there was a unique chance to preserve the natural heritage of Hainich but also a chance to foster a development perspective for people in the region. In response to these opportunities the concept of a “National Park” emerged. A deciduous National Park with beech had long been discussed in Germany. Beech forests are restricted by their nature to Europe, therefore, Germany has a special responsibility for their preservation. The beech forest of Hainich represents a typical European landscape. There are woodland areas which, without the influence of people, would naturally grow in large areas of central Europe. Hainich presents a wide spectrum of beech wood types growing on limestone, where, in addition to beech, numerous other types of deciduous trees can be found such as ash, maple, oak, lime, and the rare Sorbus torminalis. In Hainich the beech forests are of a size and shape which cannot be found anywhere else. 

In 1996 the Thuringian government passed the bill for the “Integrated protection concept for Hainich”. It was aimed at connecting the unique natural heritage in Hainich with the ‘close to nature’ use of the forest. Three main points comprise the contents of the bill: 

1. Establishment of a National Park of 7,500 hectares. 

2. Control of the adjacent natural forest reserves in order to continue their sustainable use 

3. Creation of a nature park in order to secure Hainich in total.  

At the end of 1997 the law about Hainich National Park was passed almost unanimously by the Thuringian parliament. For the purpose of protection, the following points were included:   

- Securing and producing the undisturbed nature process as far as possible 

- Environmentally friendly leisure recreation close to nature 

- Environmental education and research 

- Development and improvement of tourism as well as the quality of life and work for the people who live in the surrounding area   

With this aim at protection it is becoming clear that Hainich National Park should remain open to the people for leisure recreation and environmental education and that it should provide economic opportunities for the region which was so badly affected by the breakdown of the economy in the former GDR. Realizing these goals is no easy task especially when one considers that the area was not open to the public for many decades and that the region is not traditionally a tourism area.