Wild forest Vosswinkel
| Wild forest Vosswinkel | ||
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| place | Bellingsen 5 59757 Arnsberg-Voßwinkel |
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| surface | 600 hectares | |
| opening | 1970 | |
| Animal species | 17 species | |
| organization | ||
| management | Franziskus and Ildikó von Ketteler | |
| Sponsorship | Wildwald Voßwinkel GbR | |
 Aerial photograph (2014) |
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| www.wildwald.de | ||
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Coordinates: 51 ° 27 ′ 27 " N , 7 ° 52 ′ 58" E
The Wildwald Voßwinkel is a nature experience facility in the Vosswinkel district of Arnsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia). The site is located in the Luerwald , part of the area is within the Luerwald nature reserve .
history
The grounds are owned by the von Ketteler-Boeselager family at Höllinghofen Castle . In 1970 the brothers Wolfhard and Wilderich v. Boeselager set up the facility on the site of the historic hunting gate. Since the beginning of the 1990s, after a fire by Wolfhard v. Boeselager rebuilt and operated under a further developed concept that enabled encounters with native animal species without annoying fences. Only in the last few years have there been minor changes in the offers, in the form of large events, overnight accommodation in a simple form or petting zoo.
After a generation change in the Boeselager family business, Franziskus Freiherr von Ketteler has been the landlord of Schloss Höllinghofen and general manager and co-owner of the wild forest since 2006 . In November 2007 his wife Ildikó von Ketteler-Boeselager founded the Lüerwald Foundation , which aims to secure the existence of Wildwald and Waldakademie Voßwinkel, as predominantly non-profit institutions, for the future. The foundation's assets should be between five and seven million euros and be generated through the regional marketing of ecological compensation measures with the help of the surrounding communities.
philosophy
The operators of the park strive to strike a middle path between the use and protection of nature and try to combine natural forestry, gentle tourism and pragmatic nature conservation. They are committed to sustainable development in line with Agenda 21 .
Animal species and attractions
The animal species that are kept in the approximately 680 hectares, 250 hectares of which are developed for forest visits, include red deer , fallow deer , European mouflon , wild boar , raccoon , tawny owl , eagle owl , raccoon dog and squirrel . There are also Shropshire sheep , mini pigs , goats , Canada geese and mallards . Rare breeds of livestock are kept at the historic Haarhof, which is located in the middle of the forest. For attentive forest visitors, the Vosswinkel Wild Forest offers surprising encounters time and again when observing nature at ponds and in the forest itself, as other and often rare animal species have settled and can be observed in the wild.
The park is not a zoo , rather the animals are z. Some of them are shown in largely natural walk-through enclosures and only a few in aviaries and naturally designed enclosures. In connection with the Waldakademie Voßwinkel e. V. training courses and events are offered almost daily for interested parties and a specialist audience.
Its attractions include the ability to Hirschbrunft to watch up close as well as the "Wood day," the Forest lights, the woods cinema and the Forest Christmas markets. Between 2008 and 2013, an average of 102,000 visitors came to the Wildwald Voßwinkel every year.
In April 2007 the natural climbing garden was created , operated by the Kräftespiel GbR . Set up close to nature in the forest, seven courses offer climbing opportunities of up to 16 m. In 2008 a barefoot path was laid out. From April to October there are offers for a natural stay in the forest.
Importance for nature conservation
In terms of forestry, the Vosswinkel wild forest is only managed to a limited extent in favor of tourist use. Black stork , common raven , honey buzzard and all species of woodpecker have returned to the Natura 2000 area in recent years . According to a study by the Wesel Biological Station, the forest is one of the ten most important occurrences of stag beetles in the Federal Republic of Germany.
In addition to the pure park character, the Wildwald Vosswinkel is also dedicated to environmental education. The Waldakademie Voßwinkel eV , active in the wild forest, brings visitors closer to ecological relationships. It works with regional environmental associations and other institutions. In 2007, over 1,100 events with almost 20,000 participants were held. In May 2017, the Waldakademie Voßwinkel eV was named a competence center for education for sustainable development (ESD).
For several years now, the Wildwald Voßwinkel has been awarding awards in cooperation with the Waldakademie Voßwinkel e. V. Awards to personalities who have rendered outstanding services to the Lüerwald and environmental protection . Among the award winners were, among others, the "honor red fox" Alex Paust , former mayor of the city of Arnsberg, the "honor green woodpecker" Bärbel Höhn , former environment minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, the "honor gray heron" Wilfried Stichmann , biology didactic , and the "honorary green heron " Honorary chaffinch “ Hans-Josef Vogel , Mayor of the city of Arnsberg. appointed.
Sources and individual references
- ↑ 2020 according to the zoo animal list
- ↑ https://www.wildwald.de/barfuspfad/
- ↑ https://www.wildwald.de/category/ubernachten-im-wald/
- ↑ from the magazine Die Waldbauern in NRW , July / August 2009
- ↑ see newspaper reports, e.g. B. in the Westfälischer Anzeiger on June 3, 2017
- ↑ WAZ of September 17, 2015
