Boxberg (horse racing track)
The Boxberg racecourse is located on the south-western outskirts of Gotha in Thuringia . The facility, named after the mountain range of the same name , was opened in 1878. It is the only facility of its kind in Thuringia and has recently also been used for festivals.
history
Horse races have been held on the site, which was actually a parade ground , since 1842 . With the support of the Duchy of Saxony-Coburg and Gotha , the Mitteldeutsche Rennverein was founded in 1878 with the aim of building a horse racing track on the 80 hectare area. In the years that followed, the facility, which is still preserved today, was built with a wooden grandstand built in the English style.
The racetrack was originally built in 1878 for flat and obstacle races. With this, Boxberg experienced its heyday even before the First World War . From August 11th to 13th, 1912, an aero-plan tournament took place with the participation of the airship LZ 11 Viktoria-Luise . Aerial photographs and bombing were also tested. With the beginning of the First World War, the obstacles were removed and the area was used for agriculture. The obstacle course could not be rebuilt until 1928. In addition, thoroughbred races were included with the aim of increasing state horse breeding . With the construction of the Thuringian Forest Railway in 1929, the racecourse received its own stop and thus easier access for the many visitors.
No horse races were held during World War II . The facility was designed as a dummy airfield to camouflage the airfields in Gotha and Wenigenlupnitz. After the end of the Second World War, however, regular races were back in 1946. For this purpose the Cooperative for Thoroughbred Breeding and Races Thuringia e. V. founded. However, this was expropriated as early as 1953 and the complex became public property . In 1961 the state-owned Boxberg stud was established . In contrast to other racing courses in the GDR , mostly amateur races were held on the Boxberg in the years that followed.
After the fall of the Wall , races were held again for the first time in 1991, this time a combination of gallop and trotting races, now under the direction of the newly founded racing club for Central Germany .
In 2000 the Boxberg racecourse was reprivatised with the acquisition of the site by a corporation .
Until 2011 horse races with English and Arabian thoroughbreds as well as pony , riding horse and hunting races took place regularly . Between May and September two to five racing days were organized annually. For financial reasons, in particular due to the lack of sponsors, there were no races in 2012 and 2013. In addition to horse racing, the area is used for festivals such as Freakstock and other events.
Transport links
The Boxberg horse racing track has its own tram stop for the Thuringian Forest Railway ( Gotha - Waltershausen ). There is also the direct motorway exit Gotha-Boxberg (41b) from the A 4 . Until 1945 there was also the Leinakanal stop on the neighboring Thuringian Railway , where passenger trains stopped during horse races.
gallery
Grandstand (June 2006)
Judges tower
Bleachers
Spectator stands (racetrack side)
Grandstand building from the street side
"Betting Office" building
Sward on the racetrack
Racecourse Restaurant
literature
- Conny Möller, Uta Wallenstein: Between yesterday and today. Anniversary band on the 125-year history of the Gotha-Boxberg racecourse. Edited by the Galopprennbahn Gotha-Boxberg e. V., Kunstverl. Gotha, Wechmar 2003, ISBN 3-931182-29-0 (with 80 black and white and color photos).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Keller: Horse races did not take place on the Boxberg this year. In: Thuringian General . Online notification, October 4, 2013.
Coordinates: 50 ° 54 ′ 19 ″ N , 10 ° 39 ′ 29 ″ E