Permission for Green Trails on the Eisenberg has arrived

Construction of the Green Trails trail on the Korbach Eisenberg can begin. The district handed over the nature conservation permit to the special-purpose association during a site visit in Goldhausen. This means that the planning for the construction tender can begin immediately.

All interventions in nature and the landscape require approval under nature conservation law. This also applies to the construction of the Green Trails trails that are to be built in the municipality of Korbach around the Goldhäuser Eisenberg. The accompanying landscape conservation plan for the project was officially submitted to the district's Environment and Climate Protection Department at the beginning of May after an intensive coordination process. It has now been approved by the Lower Nature Conservation Authority.

The first project will soon be a trail park around the theme of "gold" in Korbach on the Eisenberg. With the official approval, the special-purpose association, which consists of the 15 member municipalities and the district, can now start planning the concrete construction phase. "With this we are setting a first milestone in terms of Green Trails," says a delighted District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst, who accepted the nature conservation permit in his capacity as Chairman of the Green Trails Board. "The park in Korbach will become a kind of blueprint for the other parks being created in the other municipalities. Together with them, this will create what is probably Europe's longest continuous trail and bike network with around 400 kilometres."

A special unique selling point: all trails are designed so that everyone can cycle them and, above all, everyone has fun doing it - from children to active senior citizens. "The project is not only a spectacular offer for enthusiastic bikers, but also an outstanding example of exemplary and forward-looking inter-communal cooperation," adds Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Commissioner. The routes are to be designed in such a way that they are sustainable and environmentally friendly and require as little interference with nature as possible.

The corresponding concept for Korbach has now been approved by the district's environmental and climate protection department. The project's intervention permit under nature conservation law deals in particular with the topics of intervention avoidance, species protection, compensation and regulatory content for the post-evaluation of interventions in the sense of monitoring. This means that the conservation of specially protected species and habitats is a priority. For example, existing nesting sites of European protected bird species or the occurrence of the fire salamander have led to the relocation and adaptation of trails. Functional compensation for the interventions is achieved by abandoning use in two old-growth forest stands on the Eisenberg on a five-hectare area.

The further timetable for the trail park on the Eisenberg is that the Europe-wide tender will be published in the next few weeks to find qualified trail builders for the construction of the green trails. The start of construction is planned for October 2023. The trails at the Eisenberg should be rideable by the summer of next year.

Background
The Green Trails are planned, built and operated by the Zweckverband Green Trails. The association includes 15 municipalities (Bad Arolsen, Bad Wildungen, Battenberg, Diemelsee, Diemelstadt, Edertal, Hatzfeld, Korbach, Lichtenfels, Twistetal, Vöhl, Volkmarsen, Waldeck, Willingen and the district). So-called "trail parks" consisting of around 200 kilometres of newly built trail are to be gradually created in the 14 towns and municipalities. These parks will be linked to each other by around 200 kilometres of existing trails. The aim is to promote tourism in the region, to create another leisure opportunity for the population as well as to convey an understanding for mutual cooperation, nature and its creatures.

When people hear the words "trails" or "trail parks", they often think of routes where only sporty and experienced mountain bikers can have fun. In the district, trails are to be built that do not yet exist in this region. Children, young people, adults and senior citizens should feel comfortable on the trails and be able to ride them without any problems. The Green Trails thus have the motto "Trails for everyone! However, this motto is not only relevant when riding the trails. As early as the planning stage, it is important to talk to the various interest groups and to avoid conflicts that might occur at certain points in the forest from the outset. Since the Green Trails are supposed to be a nature experience for its visitors, it is also important to pay attention to nature and to protect it. In the planning, construction and use, nature compatibility is clearly in the foreground.