Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park (Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft) is the largest national park in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is located along the coast of the Baltic Sea and includes several peninsulas, islands, and lagoon shore areas within the district of Vorpommern-Rügen.

The park is known for its very shallow water, which is home to special coastal animals. All parts of the park are famous as a resting place for thousands of cranes and geese.

The park covers an area of 805 km² (311 sq mi).

Composition

About half of the park is open water from the Baltic Sea. More than a quarter of the park includes parts of the lagoons in the Darss-Zingst Bodden Chain, such as the West Rügen Bodden. This helps protect these shallow water areas, which have many plants and animals. The different salt levels in the water from the Baltic Sea and the bodden (shallow lagoons) help create a variety of natural life. For example, the Baltic Herring visits these shallow bays to lay its eggs.

The park covers parts of the Darß and Zingst peninsula, as well as most of the island of Hiddensee. A narrow part of the island of Rügen, near the bodden, is also included in the park. Pine and beech forests, like the Darß Forest, cover much of the land. In areas without trees, there are wetlands formed by flooding from the sea.