We present the first three winners here. Don't you have the feeling that you absolutely have to see these unique spots with your own eyes?

1st place: Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park

The winner of "Natural Wonder 2016" is located high up in the north and lures you into the magic of the Wadden Sea with the Westerheversand lighthouse. The natural wonder stretches north from the German-Danish border further south to the mouth of the Elbe. This is the largest national park in Germany: 4410 square kilometers. Together with the Halligen islands, it is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve where porpoises, seals, grey seals and many birds such as herons, cormorants, shelducks and avocets feel at home.

2nd place: Harz National Park

Forests and treetops, valleys and peaks. Right in the middle: the enchanted Brocken. The highest mountain range in northern Germany offers everything a primeval forest should have: wild rivers and waterfalls, bizarre rock giants, mysterious moors, exciting caves and sometimes almost impenetrable forests. Lynx, wild cats, foxes, squirrels, red deer, wild boar and mouflon make their home on the 1141-metre-high Brocken, where grey wagtails, peregrine falcons, capercaillie and great horned owls breed.

3rd place: Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park

A Baltic Sea beach as romantic and idyllic as the western beach on the Darß definitely deserves the title "natural wonder". There is a touch of wildness and romance here. The TV channel "arte" even voted it one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. The Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park consists of half of the Baltic Sea with the Darß, the Zingst peninsula and the cozy island of Hiddensee. Between dunes, cliffs, shallow bays, coastal moors and forests, thousands of cranes rest in the meadows in the fall before flying south. Otters also like to hang out here.