Biohotel in Hessen Süd

Organic hotels in southern Hesse

Bergstrasse-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park

The Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park is 3,800 km² in size and lies between the rivers Main, Rhine and Neckar. It partially overlaps with the Neckartal-Odenwald Nature Park in the south and meets the Bavarian Spessart Nature Park in the east.

What is the Geo Natural Park?

Geo-natural parks are designated by UNESCO. The Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald received this award in 2004 , making it a member of the two networks of European and Global Geoparks. UNESCO grants such landscapes geo-natural park status if they meet the following three goals:

• Preservation of the natural and intact environment
• Providing impulses for sustainable forestry and forestry
• geoscientific knowledge transfer

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There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in this geopark: the Messel Pit as a World Natural Heritage Site and the Lorsch Monastery as a World Heritage Site. The Bergstrasse-Odenwald Park has had the status of a national geopark since 2002. It is located in the Odenwald (south of Hesse and northern Baden-Württemberg ). Landscapes of this geopark are the Hessian Ried, the Bergstrasse, the Crystalline Odenwald, the Buntsandstein-Odenwald, the Maintal, the Messeler Hügelland and the Neckartal. The nature park is run by the registered association Geo-Naturpark Bergstrasse-Odenwald. It was founded in 2008 from two predecessor clubs. There are several landscape and nature reserves in the Geo-Nature Park:

• Kühkopf-Knobloch Saue
• Odenwald Limes
• Obrunn Gorge
• Felsberg near Reichenbach
• Loess wall from Haarlass
• Heidelberg including Heidelberg Castle
• Cat hump
• Bergstrasse Nature Conservation Center
• Anna-Elisabeth visitor mine
• Eberstadt stalactite cave
• Marie Marie Visitor Mine
• St. Maria in Lichtenklingen

Hiking in the Geo Nature Park

The typical landscapes in the geo-nature park are so-called “geopark experience areas”. They are accessible with thematic geopark paths. These are laid out in the geo-nature park layout. On site they provide direct information about the cultural, historical and geological features of the region. The Birkenau-Nieder-Liebersbach Waldner-Turm-Weg hike will only be described here as an example. The path is 9.8 km long and average speed hikers can complete it in three hours. The starting point is the fire department parking lot in Nieder-Liebersbach, Balzenbacher Straße. It is a high-altitude trail that offers wide views and leads around the Liebersbacher Valley. At first it goes slightly uphill, the hikers cross open meadows and have very beautiful views until they reach a high path. This alternates between forest and meadow areas. Finally, the hikers reach the Waldner or Vierritterturm.

When was the nature park built?

It was built in the mid-19th century but has the style of a medieval watchtower. The approximately ten meter high tower is accessible. Anyone who climbs up has a very wide view of the Palatinate, the Rhine Valley and the southern and central Odenwald from above. The mountain path then leads – with a short detour – to the “Steinernen Gaul”. This is a boulder in the shape of a lying horse. After the hikers have left the high trail, they come to a small fish pond and then to the town of Oberliebersbach, where there are still some horse riding events. The path now crosses the valley and then climbs again. This is followed by the eastern mountain path, the stops of which include a refuge with a rest area, a hill, open meadow landscapes and small patches of forest. Finally, the hikers return to their starting point, the town of Birkenau Nieder-Liebersbach. This takes its name from the Liebersbach and is located in the Weschnitztal, through which the stream flows. The climate is mild, it is influenced by the mountain road nearby.

Cycling in the Geo Nature Park

The Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park is very suitable for cycling tours due to its natural location and its high relief energy. It is a designated mountain bike area, so it is often used by ambitious cyclists. Signposted mountain bike routes have been created for this target group. The demand for such routes is very high; mountain biking is a sport with very high growth rates. 16 million Germans ride an MTB in their free time. You need high-quality, signposted, well-planned and exciting routes. The Geo-Nature Park Bergstraße-Odenwald offers you this.

There are more than 40 routes here based on the two-pillar concept of information and integration. In concrete terms, this means: All stakeholders are always included in the planning process of each individual MTB route, such as the forestry industry, the forest owners and the local MTB clubs. This allows any potential conflicts to be dealt with at an early stage. Volunteer route sponsors (around 70 active people) support the creation, promotion and control of the routes. The Geopark advises the member municipalities. He takes part in trade fairs and information campaigns to promote sustainable cycling.
Mountain bikers will find many information boards along the routes and also benefit from a well-founded signage concept. This means that the route quality is very high: driving fun and safety are guaranteed. The Geopark divides the routes into four categories according to difficulty levels. Relaxed touring riders feel just as comfortable here as technology-savvy enduro bikers. Routes include (for example only):

• Mountain road from Heidelberg to Darmstadt
• Dieburg – Stockstadt
• Hohe Straße (cultural-historical themed trail)
• Großostheim – Plumgau
• Neckarelz – Diedesheim
• Weschnitztal / Überwald

The tours vary in length and sometimes cannot be completed in one day. They are extremely scenic in terms of landscape.

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