Deeply hidden and well protected in the heart of the Jasmund National Park is part of the heritage of all mankind. These are ancient, almost intact beech forests that are of such outstanding importance that they were inscribed on the World Heritage List in June 2011.
The UNESCO World Heritage Forum in the Michael Otto Haus (on the site of the historic forest hall) is dedicated to this world heritage and was opened on 6 June 2017 by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel at a ceremony attended by several hundred invited guests and numerous citizens of Sassnitz.
As the "little forest sister" of the large National Park Centre on the Königsstuhl, the World Heritage Forum in the Michael Otto Haus is entirely dedicated to the World Heritage Beech Forests on Jasmund.
The operator, the KÖNIGSSTUHL National Park Centre, is a non-profit service facility that conveys the uniqueness and beauty of nature to interested guests at the highest level and makes natural processes visible and understandable.
We see ourselves as representatives of the island of Rügen, the Old Beech Forests UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Jasmund National Park.
Prof Dr Michael Otto is one of the most successful German business personalities of our time.
He made it possible for the town of Sassnitz to acquire the site of the former Waldhalle. We all owe him our thanks for this. As a sign of appreciation for his support, the Welterbehäuschen bears his name.
Born in Hamburg, he is a committed family entrepreneur with a strong sense of responsibility for the consequences of his own actions. He is convinced that the economy must be there for people, not the other way round. This is why he made environmental protection and socially responsible business practices an integral part of his corporate strategy back in the 1980s.
Michael Otto has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany with Star. This honours his willingness to assume responsibility for society as a whole and his personal commitment to ecological and social issues.