Hainich treetop path
| Hainich treetop path | ||
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 Tower and part of the canopy path |
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| Data | ||
| place | Hainich National Park | |
| Client | Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Environment | |
| Construction year | 2005 | |
| height | up to 44 m | |
| Coordinates | 51 ° 4 '59.6 " N , 10 ° 30' 24.2" E | |
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| particularities | ||
Length :
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The Hainich treetop path is the second longest and highest treetop path in Germany. It was opened as the second tree canopy path in Germany on August 26, 2005 and is located in the district of Schönstedt near the Forsthaus Thiemsburg in the Hainich forest area of the same name , around ten kilometers west of the spa town of Bad Langensalza in Thuringia . It leads from a height of 10 m to 24 m and is dedicated to the fauna in the national park . The second 238 m long loop was opened on May 14, 2009 and applies to the jungle itself.
investment
The facility was conceived as an outstanding element of the Hainich National Park with a visitor center and the associated infrastructure such as a parking lot, bus stop and restaurants. In 2019, 150,000 visitors to the treetop path were counted.
purpose
The treetop path is intended to give visitors a glimpse of the forest's canopy and the interrelationships between its various components that are normally not possible.
In addition to tourism, the facility is used for treetop research , in particular to study the small mammals , birds , beetles , spiders and butterflies living on trees . The working conditions of the scientists are considerably facilitated by the permanent establishment of the treetop path and the convenient access instead of the usual climbing technique and thus enable and complement long-term research projects. Together with measuring points available at various points in the jungle , this allows environmental monitoring .
Access
From the parking lot you first get to the site of the former forest workers' settlement, Forsthaus Thiemsburg , where the visitor center with restaurant is today. From there, you pass the tree house to the pond with the remains of the medieval Thiemsburg castle. The striking tower is reached after about 400 meters. In the waiting area at ground level are the checkout area, supply and toilet facilities, from where you can climb the tower to the treetop paths via the spiral staircase or use the elevator available for disabled visitors.
Lookout tower and path
The treetop path allows a comfortable tour through the treetops and tree tops. It is didactically divided into four sections, which are entered one after the other through appropriate gates ( bat , woodpecker , wild cat and butterfly ). In the glass pulpit under the viewing platform and inside the tower there are further exhibits and explanatory boards. On the roof of the 40 meter high tree tower called observation tower there is a weather station , which from the University of Göttingen is operated.
Structural matters
The treetop path unites (in simplified terms) the engineering functionality of a lookout tower with that of a bridge structure .
The special location posed a special challenge for the engineers and construction technicians. The erection of the structure and the structure itself were only allowed to cause minimal interference in the existing forest, so the structural requirements , the foundation that was as gentle on the trees as possible and the installation of the steel structure in the middle of a confusing, closed treetop area as a building project were new for all those involved.
In the first construction phase, the foundations for the tower and the supports were created, the parking spaces for the required cranes were selected and secured, and the technical supply lines were laid to the construction site. In the second phase, the approximately 44 meter high “tree tower” was built on site using a segmented construction method using prefabricated sheet metal elements and steel girders. This was done from above using a tower crane; the parts were individually swiveled into position over the treetops, fixed and welded together.
In the third construction phase, the steel supports anchored on deep foundations for the first, initially 300-meter-long path were set up in the same way and stabilized with the connecting elements. The actual visitor path with the necessary safety devices was installed at a height of around 20 to 25 meters above ground. The path is winding several times and often reaches right up to the branches. Finally, the interior work in the tower and the actual path along with the required parapets, safety devices and installations were completed.
literature
- National park information : The treetop path in the Hainich National Park . In: Hörselberg-Bote . Issue 62. Heimat Verlag Hörselberg, Wutha-Farnroda 2005, p. 48-50 .
- Harald Rockstuhl : The history of the treetop path in the Hainich National Park an der Thiemsburg. Rockstuhl Verlag, Bad Langensalza 2007, 100 pages, ISBN 978-3-938997-06-2 .
Web links
Sources and individual references
- ↑ Presentation of the 2019 annual balance sheet. Press releases from January 16, 2020, Hainich National Park.
- ↑ There is a balance over all the tops. Spiegel Online , July 24, 2006.
- ↑ Remains of a wall and ditch system can still be seen to the right of the path by the pond.
- ↑ Infrastructure: Hainich measuring station (Thuringia, Germany). University of Göttingen, Department of Bioclimatology. Retrieved February 22, 2020.