Green rolling hills, dark forests with castle ruins and barrows dating back to Celtic times, dells with creeks and rivers cutting through slate: These are prominent features of the Hunsrück, my home region in south-western Germany. Extending over 3,000 square kilometers, the Hunsrück is a low mountain range confined by the rivers Mosel, Saar, Nahe and Rhine. It is inhabitated since prehistoric times and Celtic barrows and strongholds more than 2,000 years old can still be found in the woods. The area has recently been awarded the status of a National Park, the first in the German states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.