On the way along the Canopy Walk

Nationalpark
Hainich
Dczember 2010
Imprint
National Park Administration
Bei der Marktkirche 9, 99947 Bad Langensalza
Telefon +49 (0) 36 03 39 07-0
Telefax +49 (0) 36 03 39 07-20
np_hainich@forst.thueringen.de
www.nationalpark-hainich.de
On the way along
the Canopy Walk
N AT U R A L H E R I TA G E I N T H E T R E E TO P S
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The canopy walk way is close to the Thiemsburg, a famous
starting point for hiking tours in the national park. The
Thiemsburg is located approx. 10 km west of Bad Langensalza
and is easily reachable by car or public means of transport.
Location
Coloured treetops in autumn – view from the tree tower
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In addition to the tours guided by rangers every hour, there
are two possibilities for on-topic events on the canopy walk
way: insect observation evenings using light traps and morning mood tours. They take place outside the opening hours
from April until September. (Registration required)
Guided tours and events
0
5
10
15 km
There may be closings because of bad weather.
The canopy walk way is closed on December 24th and 31st.
Eisenach
B 84
Direction to Gotha
➤
Reichenbach
National Park
Hainich
C A N O P Y WA L K &
N AT I O N A L PA R K
V I S I TO R C E N T R E
Craula
Car Park “Thiemsburg“
Zimmern B 247
Alterstedt
Bad Langensalza
B 247
➤
Direction to Mühlhausen
O R I E N TAT E
The canopy walk way is open year-round
April to October
10am to 7 pm
November to March
10am to 4 pm
Ranger-guided tour
Information about hosts and the region surrounding
Hainich can be found here: www. hainichland. de or
by phone +49 (0) 36 03-89 26 58.
v
Hainich region
Detailed information about entrance fees, events, etc. can be
found here: www.nationalpark-hainich.de.
You will also find information about the event programme
MITMACHEN and the extensive network of the national
park‘s hiking and cycling routes here.
Further information
A lift allows the elderly and disabled people in a wheelchair
to visit the canopy walk way.
Opening hours
Accessible
The hiking trailhead Thiemsburg is located directly next to
the road. From here the canopy walk and the National Park
Visitor Centre are reachable within a 10 minutes‘ walk.
Approach from Bad Langensalza: follow the direction
Zimmern, then turn in direction of Craula.
From Eisenach: take B 84 in the direction of Bad Langensalza, turn in the direction of Craula when passing Reichenbach, reaching Craula follow the signs to Bad Langensalza.
Getting there
RE-KO GmbH
Rumbachstraße 9, 99947 Bad Langensalza
Telefon +49 (0) 36 03 89 21 59
Telefax +49 (0) 36 03 89 13 43
E-Mail besucheranfrage@reko-uh.de
For groups, guided tours and events outside the official
opening hours are available upon consultation.
Please contact:
Registration
INFORM
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
EXPERIENCE
RECOGNIZE
Experiencing Nature
In the tree tops
The Canopy Walk
The National Park Centre
Located at the western border of the Thuringian Basin,
Hainich National Park is one of Germany‘s biggest
untouched forest habitats. Visitors can discover its
normally inaccessible area – high up into the canopy of
leaves – on the canopy walk way at the Thiemsburg.
Despite their enormous size, the tree tops of ancient or
primeval forests are a widely unexplored habitat, not
only in the tropics. They are difficult to access and often
remain unobserved during investigations in the forest.
For this reason the habitat still holds many secrets.
Here visitors can explore a tree tower with tree house,
which is 44-metre high and soars out of the tree tops, and
a path that is 530 metres long and meanders its way from
the upper tree trunks to the top of the crowns.
The National Park Centre Thiemsburg is by the way to
the canopy walk. A very special experience here is the
exhibition “Entdecke die Geheimnisse des Hainich”
(Discover Hainich‘s Secrets). It enables visitors to gain
surprising insights into the national park. Additionally,
interactive exhibition modules give visitors a deeper
understanding of the habitat with “all their senses”.
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In the tree tops of the forest, old and young discoverers,
whether curious and venturesome or looking for peaceful
relaxation, can go on a very special trip in the forests of
Hainich National Park.
The path meanders its way up into the tops of ancient forest trees
Discover versatile habitats
The older and more versatile a forest, the more versatile also
the tree top with its ecological niches: mosses and lichens
provide hiding places and nutrition for animals, dead branches are their basis of life and breeding. The rich structural diversity and the big differences within the forest‘s micro-climate are the requirements for the enormous biodiversity in
the canopy.
Being Germany‘s biggest unmanaged deciduous forest, Hainich
National Park fulfils these conditions excellently – its importance is to maintain, develop and explore the forest symbiosis
which is so rich in species.
Exploring Nature in Dizzy Height
Including nature and art, education and fun, adventurous
height and close proximity, a stroll over the canopy walk way
promises to be an exciting nature experience in the most
diverse habitat of the earth.
Thus, they will learn more about the “love nest” and
the “resting place Hainich” and they will be able to
check whether they are suitable for high altitudes on
a test tree top path. Even early flowers start growing
with sufficient sunlight. With luck they can also spot
the shy European wildcats. Rangers will be happy to
provide information about Hainich in the lobby. This is
also the place to buy the tickets for the canopy walk way.
Discovering the Secrets of Hainich – National Park Centre Thiemsburg
At eye level with the tree tops at 24 metres
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Welcome to the primeval forest in the
centre of Germany!
On the multi-layered but interconnected level of the canopy,
insects wander from tree to tree, spiders form a dense network of predators, and various kinds of beetles and bugs
dwell there.
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Enjoy the view over the Thuringian Basin, have a look at
the beech forest‘s tree tops in great heights, stroll through
the crowns of the primeval forest and have various new
experiences there:
Walking the path, visitors encounter bats,
woodpeckers and other inhabitants of the
beech forest. The rest areas on the way do not
only invite them to stop and marvel at the surroundings.
The National Park Centre Thiemsburg by the way to the canopy walk
Emergency escape
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7
Climbing facilities
7 The
Courageous visitors can prove their skills
at two rope bridges and thus experience
the swinging of the branches in the beech
crowns. There are more activity opportunities at the platforms “Wild Forest” 7
and “Explorer Forest” 8 .
6 The forgotten forest
The aim of the Hainich National
Park is to make possible that the “primeval forest
in the centre of Germany” can develop without
disturbance. According to the motto of German
National Parks “let nature be nature”, as much
as 91 % of the park‘s space is currently not used.
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Rope bridge
The tree species within sight of the path are
introduced on this platform as well as alongside the path.
Tour of the tree tops
Tour of the second section
Photosynthesis is the name of the
unique process in plants that converts carbon dioxide and water into sugars,
using the energy of the sunlight. Together
with the “by-product” oxygen, it establishes
the basis for life on earth.
6
8
“Does sunlight feed living beings?” – This is
the question that visitors are asked at the
branch circuit leading to the second part of the
path.
at 40 metres
Viewing platform
21 metres
21 metres
5
24 metres
Start of the tour
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at 10 metres
300 metres
Tour of the first section
*6
9 Beech
3
19 metres
2
*
2 Middle spotted
1
Visitors encounter the Bechstein’s Bat at the
first platform – there is no need to take the trip
at night-time in order to learn more about it.
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Artwork along the path
Bat
Bats take shelter in the deadwood of
near-natural forests. Hollow trees provide them
accommodation. Such “bat trees” can also be
discovered directly at the path.
Middle spotted woodpeckers live in
old trees. They feed on insects that inhabit the
cracked bark, cavities and forked branches of
these old trees. Around the second platform,
visitors can look out for woodpeckers‘ holes or,
with a little luck, observe one of the Hainich‘s
seven woodpecker species.
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Woodpecker and bat – companions on the first section of the walk
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Activity elements, like this rope bridge, excite children
Information, exhibition, tickets, shop
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3
10 World Natural
Activity Stops
along the path to
the canopy walk:
1
*2 Footbrigde to the pond
*3 The thick oak
*4 Tree guessing game
*5 The tallest tree
*6 Forest cinema
* Primeval forest view
i
Heritage
Those German beech forests that are
especially near-natural are to be made World Heritage
within the framework of UNESCO‘s World Heritage
Convention. As an extension to the Heritage area
“Primeval beech forests of the Carpathians”, which has
existed since 2007, one especially precious beech forest
out of each of five German reserves was nominated –
among them Hainich National Park.
P
To the car park
The walkway is 600 m
from the car park.
Visitors can enjoy a beautiful view from the platform of
the tree tower. The inner part of the tower is dedicated to
several exhibitions explaining the area‘s geology and the inhabitants of the tree tops. In the tree house, detailed landscape models show the historical development of Hainich.
Scenic view over the Hainich area from the tree tower
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The path around the third platform describes
the structurally rich primeval forest of the
wildcats.
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Forsthaus
Thiemsburg
1
National Park Visitor Centre
woodpecker
The feral European wildcat also lives
in the Hainich forests. Trees of various ages and sizes stand side by side, deadwood
covers parts of the ground, dense hedges and
bushes grow on the clearings.
*2
16 metres
The purple emperor is one of many
specialised animals that depend on a particular
combination of temperature and humidity.
Wildcat
21 metres above the ground, visitors can dive
directly into the tree tops of three massive beeches.
*5
*4
4 Purple emperor
From the fourth rest area on, the path leads into
the top of the trees, where the interplay of light
and shadows provides ideal living conditions for
these animals.
If no one had ever interfered with
natural processes, the beech – hallmark tree of
the German primeval forest – would have been
the dominating tree species in Central Europe.
Almost 100 % of the German area would consist
of forest. However, today this amounts to only 30
%, and only 0.2 % of the total area is vegetated by
old, archaic beeches.
*4
1
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Lift
→
forest
On the eighth platform of our tour, climbing,
investigation, and exploration methods of the
tree top research are presented.
*4
13 metres
Quizzes and facts along the path
8 Explorer
The usually inaccessible area of tree tops is full of life. The diversity of
species exceeds all other habitats and creates
its very own environment. It also shows how
sensitive animals and plants react to climate
changes. Thus the tree tops are an important
archive and early warning system when it
comes to climate issues.
The second part of the path focuses on the diversity
of deciduous trees, the meaning of wilderness and big
nature reserves, and the investigation of tree crowns.
3
Climbing rope →
9
10
4
Four animal species and the beech, which is the
characteristic tree species in the Hainich National
Park, are representatives of the distinguishing
features of the primeval forest habitat: deadwood
and old trees, structural diversity and its particular
climate. The animals accompany the visitors on the
first part of the canopy walk way.
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The path leads visitors from the upper tree trunks up to the
treetops and provides insights into one of the most versatile
habitats of the world throughout its length of 530 metres.
An open platform, which is at the level of 40 metres, affords
a view over the entire Hainich area and the Thuringian Basin.
From its two levels, the seventh platform facilitates new and highly impressive insights into the
ancient forest. A relief model of Germany clearly
shows the location of the major nature reserves.
230 metres
5 Photosynthesis
Because of its structural diversity, ancient or primeval
forests teem with life. The crowns of the different
trees are home to many species of birds, beetles, and
butterflies. Each layer of the tree top accommodates
its very particular symbiosis.
24 metres
Wilderness is of utmost importance throughout
the world. One reason for this, among others,
is that wilderness is a necessary condition for a
steady climate, as for example the polar areas
or the primeval forests.
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The rich diversity of tree species
in Hainich National Park differs
significantly from other forests. The occurrence
of ten or even more species within one spot is
not uncommon. The dominating tree species,
however, is the beech.
Nature experiences in adventurous heights
wild forest