Nature Park Educational Institutions

Learning about and in nature

Nature park educational institutions such as schools, nurseries and after-school clubs are characterised by close collaboration with the local nature park and the local authority. This cooperation includes teaching about the natural and cultural landscape, regular outdoor lessons, a joint ‘Nature Park Action Day’, and training opportunities for teachers and nature educators. 

“You only love what you know, and you only protect what you love.”
(Konrad Lorenz)

The Sankt Lorenzen im Steinfelde primary school is the first nature park school in the Sierningtal-Flatzer Wand Nature Park. On 16 June 2023, in the presence of representatives from the Nature Parks of Austria, the Lower Austrian Nature Parks, the Lower Austrian Provincial Government and the municipality of Ternitz, the ceremonial presentation of the “Nature Park School” designation took place. 

Mädchen Lupe Schnecke
©Tatevosian Yana /Shutterstock

Sankt Lorenzen Primary School

The Sankt Lorenzen im Steinfelde primary school is the first nature park school in the Sierningtal-Flatzer Wand Nature Park. On 16 June 2023, in the presence of representatives from the Nature Parks of Austria, the Lower Austrian Nature Parks, the Lower Austrian Provincial Government and the municipality of Ternitz, a ceremony was held to award the ‘Nature Park School’ designation.

Raglitz Nursery School

Lower Austria Regional Kindergarten Ternitz-Raglitz
: Designated as a Nature Park Kindergarten on 18 September 2026

The Raglitz State Kindergarten in the municipality of Ternitz is situated just a few metres from the boundary of the nature park.
Surrounded by a small wood and far away from road traffic, the children spend a great deal of time outdoors. In doing so, they get to know nature first-hand and learn to appreciate and protect it.
Headteacher Maria Gamperl and her team have been enthusiastically committed to nature education for several years. Regular trips to the woods and nature park-themed workshops spark the children’s curiosity and interest in their immediate surroundings.

Kräuzäckergasse Primary School

Ternitz-Kreuzäckergasse
Primary School to be designated a Nature Park School on 29 September 2026

Ternitz Kreuzäckergasse Primary School is situated at the foot of Ternitz’s local mountain, the Gfieder. For as long as anyone can remember, the natural environment on the school’s doorstep has been used in a variety of ways as a place of learning, a space for hands-on experience and an area of discovery. Our school’s proximity to the Sierningtal-Flatzer Wand Nature Park offers pupils the opportunity to experience the local natural environment and explore a vibrant learning space right on the school’s doorstep through exciting projects, excursions and more. The pupils get to know the region in which they live – it becomes tangible and vibrant for them. 
As an ÖKOLOG, Umwelt.Wissens. – and nature park school – our aim is to foster an understanding of ecological interrelationships and to embed environmental protection in everyday school life. Environmental education instils a deep awareness of nature in young children from an early age, which they retain throughout their lives.
The nature park enables lessons to take place in an ‘outdoor classroom’ – learning that engages all the senses, an experience of regional identity, and fosters an awareness of the diverse recreational opportunities available.