Lumpepark – the first Central European birdlife reserve

The first birdlife reserve in Central Europe was established by the Ústí wholesaler Heinrich Lumpe. It was set up in the centre of this industrial town with the aim of urging society to protect the nature that was under threat. Attractions for visitors included the castle ruins, dwarfs, fossils and fountains. The Lumpepark became one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Ústí region. It was visited by as many as 60 000 people a year. 

The “Lumpepark” was the first birdlife reserve in Central Europe, established by the wholesaler and patron Heinrich Lumpe in Ústí nad Labem. Lumpe purchased three hectares of land in the middle of the industrial town and, at great expense, turned that inhospitable place into an Eldorado for birdlife. He had several hundred truckloads of fertile soil brought in and dumped on the rocky slopes, in which he planted thousands of plants, trees, shrubs and flowers. Garden artists from Bohemia and Germany assisted in the work. He diverted a spring onto the land, which fed the little streams, ponds, fountains and water jets. One crucial part of the project was erecting fencing and installing a variety of barriers to keep out cats and other predators. The work culminated in 1914, when the most attractive features of the site were installed – Henry’s Castle (Heinrichsburg) and the caves (Grottos). Both of these had a unique appearance due to the unusual material – they were built from limestone containing the remnants of fossils.
The founder of the park had two things in mind when he created it. Most of all, he wanted to provide endangered birdlife a refuge for their care and protection during the massive boom in industry. He soon succeeded in this and dozens of species of birds came and settled in the park. And then he wanted to convince the public of the enormous importance and utility value of birds. This is why he opened up his private bird paradise to the general public all the time, apart from during the winter feed and the spring nesting season. The reserve attracted between 40 and 60 thousand visitors a year, one of whom was one of the Vatican’s most senior dignitaries, Cardinal Bonaventura Ceretti, whose experience of Ústí compelled him to plead to the Pope to declare the Vatican garden a bird preserve. Several other such parks appeared around Bohemia, inspired by Lumpe. After the death of the founder, his work was continued by his nephew Alfred. After the lands were confiscated following the war the “Lumpepark” became the basis of a new zoo, which still contains part of Lumpe’s original attractions.

Krsek, M.: Heinrich Lumpe, „Otec evropského ptactva“ a jeho význam v dobové ochraně přírody (diplomová práce). FF UJEP: Ústí nad Labem 2009.
Marx, W.: Heinrich Lumpe, Leben und Wirken eines Natur- und Menschenfreundes. Ústí nad Labem 1922.

The plan of the original Lumpepark (probably 1920s). (Author: courtesy of the author)

Heinrichsburg (Jindřichův hrádek), an iconic structure in the reservation. Stands to this day. (Author: courtesy of the author)