Rühstädt owes the wealth of storks to its committed residents, who have been making sure that the stork feels particularly comfortable here since the 1950s. Regular renewal of the nesting aids, the ringing of the young storks and the annual stork festival are just some of the highlights of the stork year. Due to the above-average abundance of storks, Rühstädt was named a European stork village by the Euronatur Foundation in 1996. Together with 14 other stork villages around the world, Rühstädt is part of the “European Stork Villages” initiative, which works to improve habitats and maintain stork populations.