Germany Divided

Fun facts

Fun fact · Our own analysis of OpenStreetMap data, not official statistics. How we measured it

Hunting stands

Raised hides and hunting stands per 100 km² of forest, OpenStreetMap, September 2026

Germany has mapped 178,625 hunting stands, the wooden hides at the edge of every forest. Per 100 km² of forest the West has more: 174 against 150 in the East. Among the larger states Schleswig-Holstein leads with 294, Saxony-Anhalt has the fewest (91).

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Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·401 districts · September 2026

Former West

174

excl. Berlin

Former East

150

excl. Berlin

Berlin

201

Figures in raised hides per 100 km² of forest

The East stands at 86% of the West's level (September 2026).

By state

Former WestFormer EastBerlin
  1. Bremen501
  2. Schleswig-Holstein294
  3. Hessen214
  4. Nordrhein-Westfalen209
  5. Berlin201
  6. Rheinland-Pfalz199
  7. Baden-Württemberg195
  8. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern172
  9. Sachsen167
  10. Brandenburg166
  11. Bayern148
  12. Saarland134
  13. Thüringen132
  14. Niedersachsen111
  15. Hamburg99
  16. Sachsen-Anhalt91

September 2026

How we measured this

We counted every hunting stand (amenity=hunting_stand) in OpenStreetMap and divided by the forest area from the official land-use survey. Many stands are in fields and at forest edges, so forest area is a yardstick, not their exact habitat. We counted with the QLever SPARQL service (University of Freiburg) on the OpenStreetMap planet file of 21 September 2026; each place is assigned to the state or district whose boundary contains it. Rates are our calculation with official denominators.

  • Hunting stands are mapped unusually thoroughly in Germany (about 180,000), but some areas have been surveyed more completely than others.
  • OpenStreetMap is compiled by volunteers. Coverage in Germany is good but not complete, and it varies with how active local mappers are.
  • Our counts are released under the Open Database License (ODbL), as OpenStreetMap requires.

Notes & caveats

  • District values use forest area on 31.12.2022 (latest district figures); state, East and West values use forest area on 31.12.2024. Districts with less than 5 km² of forest are left blank.
Show the table
StateSideSeptember 2026
Saarlandwest134 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Berlinberlin201 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Brandenburgeast166 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Mecklenburg-Vorpommerneast172 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Sachseneast167 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Sachsen-Anhalteast91 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Thüringeneast132 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Schleswig-Holsteinwest294 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Hamburgwest99 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Niedersachsenwest111 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Bremenwest501 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Nordrhein-Westfalenwest209 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Hessenwest214 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Rheinland-Pfalzwest199 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Baden-Württembergwest195 raised hides per 100 km² of forest
Bayernwest148 raised hides per 100 km² of forest